S is for Sisters

Happy 6th Birthday Little Eleanor

2011-08-03T14:46:00.001-07:00

Today is E's 6th birthday. We started the day with presents and pancakes in the courtyard.

Then we went to the Huntington for E to try out her new paint set.

While Matt and E painted, C and I played mostly in the rose garden.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

2011-07-26T18:24:00.001-07:00

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The Huntington Library

2011-06-29T21:55:00.001-07:00

It's (finally) Eleanor's summer break. Her first year of school went rather well, but was a little hard on her. She is relishing the more relaxed days and the time at home. Today we went to the Huntington Library. This is an amazing place. The girls and I stayed in the gardens, as I'm not brave enough to wander through galleries with a toddler in tow (at least without Matt). We got there a little before it opened, which was not a problem. Eleanor had a blast with these little flowers that had fallen from nearby trees.

The outside is almost as nice as the inside. We found a bench, had a snack and applied sunscreen. Lots of sunscreen.

Eleanor and Charlotte took the opportunity to draw some pictures. Eleanor is seldom without paper and pen/markers/pencil. She's like Matt in that respect. She's also developing into quite the little artist.

Eleanor is quick to help Charlotte. She even got her dressed this morning. Eleanor had put on the brown skirt, but it was really short on her. I told her she needed leggings or shorts under it. She decided to go with a different shirt option and Charlotte should wear the brown skirt.

They wandered through the bamboo forest. Eleanor said that the bamboo felt like metal. I think because it was cool and smooth.

The girls' favorite part was the lilly pond. This fish kept coming over to say hi to us (and beg for food). Every time Charlotte saw a fish, which was about every two seconds, she would get excited and sign "fish."

There were ducks, geese, fish and some friendly turtles. Both girls loved it. I did too.

This baby duck walked right up to Eleanor's feet. Charlotte kept signing and saying "duck, mommy, baby."

The other favorite part of the gardens is wide open grassy spaces. In the middle of the giant field, Eleanor and Charlotte found a pile of dirt. They played in it until it was time to go and they were both filthy and happy.

Other highlights of the day include sword fighting with sticks with leaves as shields, Charlotte trying to eat something she picked from the desert plants and the sheer joy the girls experienced by running barefoot through the grass (they had both stepped in goose poop).

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Happy Easter

2011-04-24T22:31:00.001-07:00

We had a great Easter here. The girls had matching pink dresses that delighted both of them. As soon as I put Charlotte's on her, she began to twirl. I hope to get the better pictures uploaded soon (these are phone pics).

Charlotte had fun looking at the eggs. Eleanor made sure that Charlotte's basket was filled. Eleanor put every other egg she found in Charlotte's basket. She often takes care of her sister in such kind ways.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

A Day at the Beach

2011-04-22T15:07:00.001-07:00

Matt was off work today for Good Friday and Eleanor was still on spring break, so we decided to have a beach day. It turned out to be a beautiful day. Both girls loved playing in the sand. Eleanor played and played in the water.

We ate lunch at Bubba Gump's. This is not my favorite place. It's very loud (our server was yelling when taking our order to be heard). Eleanor loves shrimp (why we went here), so she ordered the kid's meal with shrimp. It said it came with fruit. Eleanor was disappointed to learn that "fruit" was one orange slice.

Since we were on the Santa Monica Pier, I talked Eleanor into riding the little roller coaster there. She didn't like it very much.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Yard Sale Finds

2011-03-26T14:12:00.001-07:00

We went to a few yard sales this morning. Here are our best finds:
Roller skates

A swivel rocker

And a sewing cabinet.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Chopsticks

2011-03-23T14:35:00.000-07:00

Charlotte in the Rain

2011-03-23T14:33:00.000-07:00

It's been rainy lately. Charlotte was enjoying her rain gear one afternoon in the courtyard.

Time to go in. Sad Charlotte.

Beauty Shop

2011-03-15T11:24:00.000-07:00

Yesterday while one of our neighbors cut my hair, her daughter and Eleanor played beauty shop, sans scissors. Eleanor liked the way her hair felt "crispy" afterward.

Hiking

2011-03-11T15:13:00.000-08:00

Today Charlotte and I went on a hike with Eleanor's kindergarten class. It was great fun.

Her school is close to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. There was a nice view of it at the trailhead. The trail was really fun, with all sorts of interesting things to see: parrots, a woodpecker, a newt, flowers.

There was a creek running through the valley, I think with runoff from the mountains. I really liked this

old bridge that we crossed.

Since the Station Fire in September of 2009, part of the trail has been closed. There was someone working on clearing debris today. The kids loved it. Charlotte also loves chain link fences, so she was doubly happy.

We stopped at a fun place to have a snack and play. The kids had a great time playing in the water and building small rock structures.

Charlotte and Eleanor both enjoyed the sand.

While all the older kids were playing, Charlotte looted their snacks.

Charlotte's friend Naffi gave her a ride part of the way. Naffi is a couple of months older than Charlotte and LOVES her.

I love that Eleanor's school is able to do this. It's a field trip that is free, educational and so good for the kids. Eleanor really enjoyed the trip (despite not wanting to go for fear of poison ivy). Charlotte also enjoyed it. Both girls were quite tired by the end of the expedition. I was too.

Daughter

2011-03-07T20:44:00.000-08:00

Daughter from Matt Lumpkin on Vimeo.

Somehow I don't think I every posted this video I put together of Eleanor on this blog.

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

2011-03-02T14:38:00.000-08:00

Today is Dr. Seuss's birthday. Eleanor's school celebrated by dressing up as characters from books and then having a parade for all the parents and older kids. Eleanor really wanted Charlotte to be involved, so we decided on the costumes of Thing 1 and Thing 2. Eleanor said she had to be Thing 1 since she was older.

All I had to do for Charlotte was repurpose her Ponyo costume from Halloween with some letters (and add a bit to the sleeves because they were too tight). Eleanor helped me make the pattern for her dress, then she went to bed. At some point I will learn to not wait until the night before to start making costumes.

The girls were absolutely adorable, but I wasn't able to get a good picture. Here's the best I got of both girls in costume.

The kids were so cute. I took a few pictures of some of Eleanor's classmates. My favorite is the Lorax.

Eleanor's teacher, Ms. Erin, was dressed as the Paperbag Princess.

After we came home, Charlotte wanted to play in the courtyard some. She's loving the blue car these days.

She's always careful to check her mirrors.

Somewhere she learned that when you drive, you drink coffee (or tea in my case).

Eleanor Makes Cranberry Sauce

2010-11-24T20:18:00.000-08:00

Eleanor loves to help me cook. Today I proposed letting her make the cranberry sauce all by herself. She jumped at the chance. I wrote out the recipe in pictures and made sure she understood what to do. She measured, mixed, stirred and told me to stop if I was helping too much.

Rainy Day Fun

2010-11-20T23:23:00.000-08:00

It doesn't rain here much. So, when it does, there's always a sense of excitement (and mass hysteria). I went to a baby shower this morning and while I was gone, Eleanor played in the rain. Matt took some pictures of this joyful playtime. I hope you enjoy them as much as Eleanor enjoyed the splashing.

There's a clogged drain over in this corner. It makes for great puddles.

Eleanor recently taught herself to skip. She now skips whenever she gets the chance and has so much fun doing so that sometimes I skip with her.

Halloween Fun

2010-11-01T10:38:00.000-07:00

Last year we didn't get any Halloween pictures (maybe because Charlotte was about 6 weeks old at the time). We got a couple hundred this year. So, prepare yourself. On Friday we took the girls to Fuller's Harvest Festival, where we celebrated the harvest of candy and Korean BBQ. They had rides and games and cotton candy (which Eleanor said was "too sweet." Bizarre). Eleanor wore her octopus costume again. Charlotte dressed as Ponyo.

Eleanor and her friend Max

On Halloween, we went with some friends to Montrose, where several stores were passing out candy. There were hundreds of kids and adults dressed up. Eleanor got creative with her costume and decided to be an octopus fairy. I happened to have a Snow White costume, so I wore it.

Charlotte went as Ponyo again. At one point two Japanese boys recognized her costume and got very excited.

There were some interesting and creative costumes.

Matt particularly liked the militant telatubby.

Here are some of the friends we went with.

Eleanor was not that great at the Trick or Treating part. She didn't want to fight her way through the crowd to get candy from strangers. About half way through she asked to go home because she "had enough candy."

There was a scary spider.

And Max was there as well.

The Many Faces of Charlotte

2010-10-21T19:51:00.000-07:00

Charlotte is a climber. The problem is, she's like a cat. She has no problem climbing up, the getting down is not as easy. This chair is one of her favorite places to climb. She loves to sit like a big girl. We've been trying to teach her how to get down by herself, but she hasn't quite mastered it yet. This morning I heard a thump and then wails. When I got to her, the lower half of her body was still in the chair, her head was resting on the floor and her arms were flailing. She falls with flair.

Also in Charlotte news, she is dangerously close to walking. She took her first independent steps a couple of weeks ago. She still prefers the stability of crawling, but her bipedalism is coming soon.

The following pictures I did not take. They are from camp day at Eleanor's school. A mom by the name of Mykle Parker took them. She did a great job. Among the many activities involved in camp day, Eleanor got to paint in the garden, drink hot cocoa, make trail mix, fish, go on a bear hunt and use her flashlight to read in a tent. Eleanor absolutely loves her school.

School for Eleanor

2010-09-09T20:20:00.000-07:00

Eleanor started school this week. For the past three mornings, I've walked Eleanor into a classroom, helped her with an activity, read to her and then left her with people I hardly know. Eleanor has done surprisingly well. She did not have to be pealed off of me. She didn't even cry. Her school encourages parents to read to their children for the first 15 minutes of every day as a transition time (K-2). This is a commuter school--no buses, most students live too far to walk. The first day, we went as a family to mark this milestone in Eleanor and our family's life. We took a couple of pictures, but they didn't turn out so great.

On the way to school. It's about a 10-15 minute drive. Eleanor was excited, but a little nervous.

Each day of the first week, Eleanor's teacher has an activity planned. On Tuesday, the students were decorating the name tags for their cubbies. Eleanor made each of her letters into flowers. Then we went and hung it in her cubby.

Eleanor is pointing at her cubby, on the bottom. This is where she stores her lunch box, blanket for rest time, extra clothes and back pack. During the first week, the kids are allowed to bring a comfort item (stuffed animal or toy). That goes in the cubby too. Eleanor is very attached to her cubby and wants one at home too. We're working on that.

We read a couple of books. Eleanor loves the classroom library and the organization of it. There is another baby close to Charlotte's age. The past two mornings she and Charlotte have played together. I love how parents and families are welcomed and encouraged to be in the classroom (at certain times). When the Good Morning song begins to play, the parents are to leave.

So far, Eleanor has loved everything about school. She seems to thrive in the structure and the routine. She has made friends and says that no one gets in trouble. I'm sure she will have some struggles at some point, but she is off to a great start. We are so thankful that she got into such a good school.

Whatever Floats Your Boat

2010-08-19T16:11:00.001-07:00

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Eleanor is Five: Ramblings and Pictures

2010-08-03T23:06:00.000-07:00

Somehow, five years have passed since little Eleanor was born. Today we celebrated Eleanor's birthday by doing whatever Eleanor wanted to do (dangerous, I know). Her requests were not too outlandish. We ate cantaloupe for breakfast. We did a craft while Charlotte took her morning nap. We had lunch at the mall, followed by a carousel ride and ice cream. Eleanor wore her new birthday dress. We watched a princess movie during rest time and then made cookies. When Matt got home from work, we gave Eleanor her gift: a bicycle. Then she went riding. We had tacos for dinner at her request. Then a bubble bath, opening some smaller presents, reading a new book and bed.

I love the simplicity of her requests and the delight that she found in our activities. I love that Ben and Jerry's has colorful sorbets and frozen yogurts that catch Eleanor's eye. Today's ice cream was pomegranate sorbet. I'm pretty sure Eleanor shared with Charlotte on the way home.

Our apartment is still a wreck. There are dishes to be washed, laundry to be done, floors to be swept. My bags are still packed from our recent travels. I am exhausted, but Eleanor is happy. This year has not been an easy one for her. The adjustment to having a sister was more difficult that we expected (and we didn't expect it to be easy).

Every time I have to explain all of my medical history to a new doctor they almost always respond, "You are lucky to have two healthy children." I am lucky, or blessed. My pregnancy with Eleanor was not easy. There were insurance issues, hospitalizations, stress, anxiety. She was born purple with her cord tightly wrapped twice around her neck. She had a heart murmur. She didn't latch on well. She lost half a pound in the hospital, weighing only 5 and a half pounds. She was tiny. Now she's a child. She sings arias in the courtyard and helps scared children at the park. She loves to paint and thinks Perpunzel is the name of the girl with the really long hair in the fairy tale. She's scared of starting school and can give you detailed reasons why. She can do simple math, understands prime numbers and asks the most profound questions. She makes us laugh, cry and scream all in the same minute. I am lucky. We are happy. Life is better than I could have imagined it.

And We're Back

2010-06-08T08:27:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the hiatus. Matt commandeered my computer for media usage. I was given a new (old) macbook for my computing needs, but I'm slow to relearn mac.

I know you really came here for the pictures, so I'll get to those in a minute (I'm also relearning iphoto as this machine is a little older and can't run Picasa). First I wanted to say how much I enjoy watching sisters relate. Eleanor and Charlotte are a lot of fun these days. Charlotte is quite mobile--crawling in her unique tripod crawl and cruising on all sorts of furniture. This is distressing to Eleanor, as I'm sure you can imagine. The most interesting things to Charlotte are whatever Eleanor has. We are working on this. Eleanor loves to be in charge. She wants to decide which toy Charlotte plays with, what she eats, where she is and who can touch her.

Some friends gifted Eleanor with some dress up clothes that their girls have outgrown. She was more than a little thrilled with the parasol. This morning, I overheard her singing, "My parasol, my parasol, my parasol..."

Charlotte, meanwhile, was making her own entertainment. Literally. Here she is playing in a puddle of her spit-up.

Charlotte and Eleanor like to play a game that I like to call the ah game. Observe:

The Ah Game from m lumpkin on Vimeo.

On Trying to be a Responsible Consumer

2010-05-18T22:06:00.000-07:00

If you give Eleanor a piece of chocolate, she's likely to ask you, "Is it fair trade?" I didn't set out to indoctrinate her in social justice. In fact, when I decided to stop buying non-fairly traded chocolate about two years ago, I didn't think of how it would affect Eleanor. Today at breakfast as we were eating our chocolate chip pancakes (someone had given us a bag of chocolate chips), Eleanor asked me if they were fair trade. She looked at the bag for the symbol and couldn't find it. This began a long conversation on what fair trade is and why we don't buy chocolate that isn't. Have you ever tried to explain slavery to a child? How about child slavery? She asked why the children didn't just go home.

Over a third of the cocoa that makes the world's chocolate comes from Ivory Coast, Africa. It's highly likely that the beans that made your favourite chocolate bar come from there. Thousands of children - from within the Cote D'Ivoire and neighbouring countries – who pick and harvest these beans have been trafficked. They have had their freedom taken away from them and are forced to work long hours on the cocoa plantations without receiving any money for their work.

-from Stop the Traffik

There are several great chocolates that are traded fairly. I've found where I can get good, fairly traded chocolate and when I happen in one of those stores, I stock up. I can make brownies and chocolate milk with cocoa from Ten Thousand Villages. I like Sundrops better than m&m's (especially the dark chocolate ones). Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Macadamia is AMAZING. The Fuller coffee shop has various chocolate candies that are good (they even had some Easter chocolates). The one thing that I haven't been able to find was good semi-sweet chocolate chips. Tonight in Whole Foods, I found them. I was giddy. I just wanted to share my elation with you.

Yes, the fairly traded chocolate is more expensive. I paid five dollars for a package of chocolate chips. The way I see it, if I can afford to buy chocolate, then I can afford to make sure that my indulgence doesn't come at the cost of a child's freedom.

In related news, I have been looking for something similar to the ubiquitous Gerber Puffs for Charlotte. Besides being full of sugar and preservatives, the puffs are made by Gerber which is now owned by Nestle. In the past, Nestle engaged in some extremely disturbing practices that resulted in millions of infant deaths (according to UNICEF and the World Health Organization). In short, they marketed their infant formula to mothers in developing countries who didn't have access to clean water or enough money to pay for enough formula to adequately feed their baby. Babies died from waterborne illness or malnutrition when the formula was watered down to make the expensive formula last longer.

In the 1950's, Nestle actually had women dress as nurses to promote formula to women in developing countries. Pressure from a boycott stopped this practice. (Picture from Baby Milk Action)

After learning this I didn't want to support Nestle, so I did a little research and found an alternative to the Puffs: Arrowhead Mills Puffed Rice. I went to Whole Foods tonight to get it and in this case, the price difference worked in my favor: $1.69 for six ounces (compared to $2.69 for 1.48 ounces of Gerber Puffs). These puffs have one ingredient: organic brown rice. I also got the puffed wheat and the puffed kumut. Tomorrow Charlotte will try them. I'll let you know how it goes.

I realize that my not buying chocolate or Nestle products is not going to change huge corporations, but it makes me feel better to not give them any of my money. I hope that I can soon do more to help the oppressed, but for now I'll just eat my Sundrops.

Also, if you live in the Pasadena area and would like to learn more about fair trade and help raise money to end human trafficking, you might consider the upcoming Spring Chocolate Fondue Party, hosted by Oasis USA.

Piano Playing

2010-05-15T20:52:00.001-07:00

Eleanor relishes her role as older sister. Here's an example of how the girls typically interact.

Forced Piano Playing from m lumpkin on Vimeo.

Tedious Baby Video

2010-05-05T16:27:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, Charlotte started to act as if she might be wanting to think about starting to crawl. I told her she had to wait until we were in our new apartment. She obliged. We moved in on Saturday. On Sunday she started propelling herself forward, not quite crawling, but traveling none the less. She's still slow, thankfully. I'm hoping to get more boxes unpacked and the apartment a bit more baby safe before she is fully mobile.

The fun part about her mobility is how much she loves it. She is so proud of herself and just thinks it is hilarious when she is able to move from where she is to her desired object (usually something of Eleanor's). I had to take a video today. I realize that very few people will want to watch a minute and a half of Charlotte stumbling forward.

Charlotte "Crawling" from m lumpkin on Vimeo.

Seven

2010-04-29T17:38:00.000-07:00

Next month, Matt and I will celebrate seven years of being married. This weekend, we will move to our seventh address. We don't really enjoy moving, but somehow we keep doing it. Here's our history of houses:

First, our fun little yellow house in Malvern. We lived here for almost a year. That wasn't our cat, but it kept getting trapped under the house, so I named it. My favorite part of this house was the lovely front window...and the hammock in the back yard.

From Malvern, we moved to Manado, Indonesia. This was by far our most colorful residence.

We lived here for eight months. The house was big. We had kittens in the attic, but they were never tame enough for me to catch or name.

From there, we moved back to Little Rock. I don't have any pictures from our first address there. A church let us stay in their mission house for six weeks. We were grateful for their benevolence as it gave us a chance to find suitable housing without feeling too rushed. I was in the throws of morning sickness and have fond memories of the comfort of the little mint green house.

We found a little apartment in Little Rock where we lived for about 18 months.

And I do mean little. We joke that it took Eleanor so long to learn to crawl because she had no where to go in this place. Our entire living room:

When Eleanor was 10 months old, we moved in to a much bigger apartment.

Within a week, she had learned to crawl. This apartment was great. We called it our treehouse because it was the second floor and surrounded by trees. It had built in bookshelves and walk in closets.

Eleanor loved the deck.

And so did we.

We were sad to leave our treehouse, but it was time to pack up to go to Pasadena.

For the past two and a half years, we have lived in this house:

We have been blessed with wonderful neighbors who have become great friends. This is the only house Eleanor really remembers and it is Charlotte's first home.

But it's small and hard for four people to live without constantly stepping on each other. Tomorrow we move into number 7. It's just across the street, so it won't be a big move. I'm sad to leave our big brown house.

Luckily, Eleanor has always loved packing.

Books, Books and More Books: Authors

2010-04-28T09:49:00.000-07:00

There are some authors that we like almost all of their books. When we go to the library, I always skim certain letters to see if there are any new (or new to us) books by these authors because I know that we will enjoy them. A lot of these are fairly well known, but I'm going to make the list anyway. Most of these were introduced to me by my mom, who has contributed greatly to Eleanor's personal library.

Rosemary Wells is wonderful. I have yet to read any book by her that we don't just love. This is one of Eleanor's favorite Rosemary Well's book, because the little girl (badger?) in the book has a doll named Elinor. Of course, Wells is also the creator of the bunny siblings Max and Ruby (I think they have a tv show?), but they are not my favorites of her books. Some of Eleanor's favorite books by Wells is a series that centers around a group of animal children who attend Hilltop School. Yoko, a cat from Japan, is one of Eleanor's favorites. We check a lot of these books out of the library and have found them helpful in helping Eleanor prepare for school. There is also a series of DVDs (maybe a show on TV?) called Timothy Goes to School. For a while they were on youtube.com and Eleanor LOVED them. They were fun little episodes with characters from the books.

James Marshall is another favorite in our house. He is witty and subtle in a way that makes reading the same old stories refreshing. He does a great job of having some things in his stories or illustrations that are entertaining to the adult reader, which is quite fun. Most of the stories of his I've seen are retellings of fairy tales: Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, and Hansel and Gretel. He also has some original stories that I think are hilarious. One of my favorites is Wings: A Tale of Two Chickens.

Andrea Beck's Elliot Moose books are still a favorite around here. These books are about a group of stuffed animals. I like these books because they model good problem solving and teamwork skills. The illustrations are nice too.

Eleanor loves the Ella books by Carmela and Steven D'Amico. I like them too. Ella is a little elephant on the Elephant Isles in the Indian Ocean. She is timid, but kind. In the first book (the one on the left), she is struggling to fit into a new school. Despite being taunted she remains kind and considerate. In Ella Takes the Cake, another of Eleanor's favorites, Ella tries to find a way to be helpful to her mom. That's behavior we encourage around here:) In the end, Ella and her mom make a Zanzibar cake. I searched and searched for a recipe for a Zanzibar cake, finally finding one here (under "Fun Stuff").

Eric Carle is a prolific children's author and illustrator. Thanks to my mom, Eleanor and Charlotte have many of his books. For his illustrations, he uses an interesting technique of painting tissue paper then cutting it to make collages. This gives his books a unique look. Not all of his writing is quality, but much of it is. The Very Hungry Caterpillar shows the life cycle of a butterfly. Pancakes, Pancakes! catalogs the ingredients in pancakes and where they come from. In her early toddlerhood, Eleanor insisted on Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? being read to her nightly, usually twice.

Cinderella

2010-04-27T14:39:00.000-07:00

Eleanor and I have been reading different Cinderella versions. We have learned that almost every culture has a version of a Cinderella story. These stories have a wide variety of settings and subplots, but there are some things central to all the stories we read. Eleanor and I made a chart of those things. (This was before we read The Irish Cinderlad.)

Books, Books and More Books: Illustrations

2010-04-26T21:13:00.000-07:00

I have always loved picture books. Since Eleanor was born I have had legitimate cause to buy or borrow many, many books. With the help of her grandparents and other literary loving family members and friends, Eleanor and Charlotte have amassed quite the collection of children's books. I thought I would share some of my favorites, but there are so many I like that I decided to do a few categories, the first being illustrations.

I love the imagination and detail that these illustrations capture. The story is of a little girl who is in time out and explaining how she is not wild, but rather is "precocious and polite." The illustrator uses mixed media to bring the animals of the little girl's imagination to life. There was about a month in Eleanor's toddler-hood that we read this book daily. We still read it often and it's one that I welcome when she brings it to me.

I discovered Jimmy Liao when Matt and I were in China. I picked up this book and fell in love with it. From what I could gather (it was all in Chinese), it was about a little girl going blind. A couple years ago, I found an English translation. Since then two other books have been released in English by Jimmy Liao: When the Moon Forgot and The Blue Stone: A Journey Through Life. The Sound of Colors is still my favorite, but all three have the same whimsical, colorful style that I enjoy.

This is a book that Eleanor has been enjoying recently. The story is a bit strange and all takes place in a bathtub, but the illustrations are amazingly detailed. The king spends the day in the bathtub, conducting all of his business there (battle, lunch, fishing, and a ball). The court is not too happy about this and the expressions are hilarious.

Hey, Al is another strange book with great illustrations. I remember reading this as a small child and thinking, "That was strange." Now I read it to Eleanor and find it hilarious.

Okay, I've procrastinated long enough. I sat down to pack up all the things on my desk and this silly computer distracted me. Back to work. We are moving this weekend into a bigger apartment, one that has closets AND outlets AND overhead lighting. Amazing. I should be working on making that happen, but writing about kids books is easier.

Eleanor's Bee

2010-04-26T11:29:00.000-07:00

"This is a picture. Eleanor wrote it and I want you to know I know you like dark blue. Dark blue is in the picture. It's the sky. And a bee is by both the flowers, but higher than the short flower and as high as the tall flower."

Tutu Fun

2010-04-24T20:04:00.000-07:00

For Christmas, my aunt and cousin made Eleanor, Charlotte and I matching tutus. Today we put them on for some dancing crazy fun.

Charlotte's tooth.

Saturday Afternoon Adventures

2010-04-10T20:55:00.001-07:00

Easter

2010-04-05T15:03:00.000-07:00

I took my camera to church on Sunday, thinking I could get some pictures. Unfortunately, the battery was dead. We got a new camera recently, which came with a new battery. I'm starting to think that the new battery is faulty. Anyway, Matt got a few pictures with his phone. Apologizes for the photo quality.

In these pictures, note the blue egg.

Eleanor was concerned about the sun being in Charlotte's eyes. She's such a good big sister.

Fuller Egg Hunt

2010-04-03T20:12:00.000-07:00

I took Eleanor to Fuller's egg hunt. Last year, the toddler/preschool set were mostly not fast enough to get any eggs. Since Eleanor was on the older end of this set, before we went we talked about how she could help some of the younger kids find eggs or give some of the ones she found to younger kids. She took this to heart. As much as she loved candy, she gave away at least half of her eggs before we made it home. Also to prepare for the possibility of her not finding any eggs, she went with her basket already half full. Here she is showing off one of her eggs.
(For the record, she asked me very specifically to fix her hair in this way, "with two pony tails up here on top.")

Before the hunt even started, she shared an egg with Ainsley.

Eleanor and Eli show off their goods.

Eleanor, Eli and Ainsley post hunt. I love the look on Ainsley's face.

Charlotte woke up after the eggs were all found and came out to play. She thought she would just get some of Eleanor's while Eleanor was distracted by her candy bracelet. Charlotte is not crawling yet, but she can move many inches on her bottom. She's a lot of fun to watch.

I've got to work on taking pictures without getting my shadow in them.

The Huntington

2010-03-26T09:51:00.000-07:00

A friend recently generously gave us a membership to The Huntington. Yesterday we went and spent a wonderful afternoon there.

Three Sugars

2010-03-25T22:21:00.000-07:00

We have a model for solving problems with Eleanor that I got from this book. One of us will state the problem and then we work together to come up with possible solutions. We talk over what each solution would look like and if they are viable or not and try to come to a solution that works for all parties involved.

Recently we were having a problem with sugar. Kids are sugar magnets. Every one wants to give them treats because it makes them so happy. I end up becoming the sugar police, a role I do not enjoy and Eleanor was prone to sugar wanting meltdowns. So after a particularly sugary day, I sat Eleanor down and we had a conversation about the sugar problem. We decided that Eleanor would be allowed a certain number of sugary treats every day and that she could decide when and what they would be. After a bit of haggling, we compromised on three sugars per day and that big things (cupcakes, ice cream cones, etc) would count as two.

This was the end of sugar induced tantrums. For the first week, she would meet her quota by noon. Then she learned to say, "No, I don't want that candy because I want dessert after dinner." She's learning self-control, budgeting, moderation...I couldn't be more proud. The strange part is if she meets her sugar quota and then is offered another candy, she takes it and almost forces it upon someone else so she can enjoy it vicariously. We're still working on that.

Tonight we had all three sugars at once. We had dessert at a soda shop. Eleanor and I split a hot fudge sundae. It was fantastic--hot fudge under and covering the ice cream, served on a plate to catch the overflow, fresh whipped creme with two cherries on top. Here it was beginningish.

Eleanor, a true girl, liked the chocolate the best.

I took this picture thinking we were finished. It was my "after" shot.

But Eleanor had other plans: "I want to make it where they don't have to clean it."

Unfortunately that made it where I had to clean her. She's such a fun child.

As we walked into the soda shop, Eleanor was singing an original tune with the lyrics, "I didn't make a mess." She changed it after we had our ice cream.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Beach Day

2010-03-25T12:16:00.000-07:00

Our neighbors and good friends recently moved away. Luckily, they didn't move too far and they moved closer to the beach. We went to see them and take Charlotte to meet the sand and sea. I like this picture of Sarann and all the colors.
Eleanor has been asking for a kite for a very long time. I bought a cheap kite at Target last week and hoped that it would work well enough to appease her desire. It worked beautifully. I literally put it together and then held it up while I let out string. No effort whatsoever and it flew great. Eleanor had no trouble navigating it herself, but lost interest fairly quickly.

Eleanor thought it would be fun to be buried in the sand. She didn't like sandy results.
Charlotte enjoyed the beach. She didn't eat any sand, but was very interested in everything (and very sleepy).
Somehow I stepped in tar. Matt helped me scrape most of it off with a shell. I was able to get the rest completely off with a oily sugar scrub (from Bath and Body Works).
Dan and Sarann were discussing the Tea Party.
Charlotte was playing E.T.

Happy Half Birthday Little Charlotte Rose!

2010-03-19T20:14:00.000-07:00

Charlotte is now six months old. To commemorate this, we spent some time on the grass today. I tried to get some pictures, but no one would cooperate. First Charlotte showed immense attention to everything except for me.

Then she tired to steal Eleanor's gummy bears.

Then the sun was hitting Eleanor just right and Charlotte was in the shadows.

Then Eleanor got the camera.

We tried. I'll try again soon.

Caterpillar Adoption Night

2010-03-18T14:07:00.000-07:00

It's finals week here. It's almost over, which means we get Matt back soon. I try to find things during finals week to keep the girls and me busy. Tuesday night Kidspace had their annual Caterpillar Adoption Night, an event with caterpillar/butterfly themed crafts, songs and activities. Eleanor had a blast. Charlotte had a nap, but liked the parts she saw.

Eleanor's favorite part of Kidspace is the tricycle track. She's getting very good at following the arrows and stopping at the stop sign. Okay, this picture shows her not on the track at all, but most of the time she was.

Charlotte and I watched.

Eleanor was in craft heaven. They had most of her favorite activities: painting, beads, decorating cookies, gluing and more. First she made a caterpillar.

Then we looked at all the insects. This is a scorpion, or as Eleanor said, "Look at this crab!"

Eleanor was so excited to decorate her own cookie. She put huge globs of this red decorating gel on the butterfly cookie.
After eating it she looked a bit like a vampire after a feast or a geisha.
We went on to make antenna and wings for Eleanor to wear when she wanted to be a butterfly.
We came home with our newest pet, a little caterpillar. It's tiny, but is already growing. In about a week, it should make a cocoon. Eleanor thought that the caterpillar should live with Hermit (the snail), but I convinced her to keep them separate.

Cookies

2010-03-17T21:24:00.000-07:00

Sugar cookies are very much part of my family tradition. Not just normal sugar sprinkled on top cookies, but detailed, extravagantly iced cookies. I know everyone says their grandma made the best cookies, but mine really did. I have memories of decorating cookies with her. This was not a fast process. It involved icing in multiple colors, candy and sprinkles for accents, toothpicks for detailing and a lot of patience. My favorites were the camels in the Christmas cookies. They had tiny silver balls that would almost break your teeth, but were pretty to look at.

When Matt and I got married, Grandma gave me a sample of her cookie cutters--some for every holiday. Coupled with all the cookie cutters my mom gave me, we have a cookie cutter for almost any occasion: Christmas, Easter, fall, Halloween, Thanksgiving, robot parade, school themed, and animals of all kinds. All that being said, I don't think I've ever used most of the cookie cutters.

While digging through a cabinet the other night, I found a set of letter cookie cutters that my mom gave Eleanor a long time ago. I decided that Eleanor was old enough to help make some cookies. The next morning, while Charlotte was napping, we mixed up the dough. Charlotte woke up in time to watch us cut them out (poor second child).

Eleanor's favorite part was decorating them. She said it's her new favorite thing to do. (I think all the sugar involved may have something to do with that.)

I let Eleanor use the scraps to make her own creation. She sculpted it into a little girl holding a flower and layered the icing on pretty heavily.

I think it's fitting that Eleanor's first cookie making experience was with my grandma. Coincidentally, it was Grandma's last.

Zoo Day

2010-03-11T17:05:00.000-08:00

I finally renewed our zoo membership last night so the girls and I could have a zoo day!

We went with a group of friends.

We saw the tiger playing with his ball.

But Charlotte preferred the lions.

Eleanor had a lot of fun with her friend Abagail.

She also tried to pose like the meercats.

Eleanor posed by the condor.

Then Eleanor took Charlotte's picture with the condor. She didn't want me in the picture, so she tried to crop me out.

Then she took my picture. Some days her photography skills are better than others.

And from our first trip to the zoo, fall 2007:

A Trip to the Mall

2010-03-08T15:27:00.001-08:00

We went to the mall today. Of course, we did the normal things like ride the carousel and get ice cream. We also found some very cute skirts for the girls (pictures soon).

As we were leaving Eleanor and I spotted this:

Not the best picture, but this is our new pet Pinky-bluey the snail.

We walked on to our car. As I started to get Charlotte out of the wrap, I noticed it was wet. I looked down and saw

poop. Everywhere. Disgusting.

It probably took 15 minutes to get Charlotte cleaned up, the girls buckled in, and find a proper receptacle for our newly acquired pet's ride home. At least three cars stopped to wait for my space, but they all gave up hope of me ever leaving and moved on.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

"Helping"

2010-03-05T22:46:00.001-08:00

I let Eleanor feed Charlotte some sweet potatoes tonight.

Charlotte may have orange snot for a while.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Everyone Loves Boba

2010-03-05T17:03:00.001-08:00

Even Charlotte.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Breaking the Rules

2010-03-01T21:51:00.000-08:00

I like following rules. Most of the time. Well, some of the time. Okay, I like following some rules some of the time. Anyway, I broke a lot of rules this evening. According to the baby rule makers, solids are supposed to be introduced at six months. Rice cereal should be introduced first in a very watered down consistency, then vegetables, then fruits. These rules change often depending on current studies or how much Gerber is paying the rule makers.

Tonight I gave Charlotte sweet potato puree. She is 18 days from her half birthday, so I guess I'm not that much of a rule breaker. For about a month she has been watching us eat with such envy and intensity (sometimes even making chewing motions with us). Finally tonight I gave in and gave her something to eat. She sat with us at the table. I gave her a spoon with a little sweet potato in it and she ate away. She would complain when the spoon stopped producing sweet potato, but wouldn't let go of it to let me refill it. She ate one ice cube of sweet potato (about an ounce) before she threw the spoon on the floor and would have nothing more to do with this whole eating thing.

Eleanor was not happy with this plan. When I first gave Charlotte the spoon, Eleanor said, "No, you do it like this." She then proceeded to take the spoon away from Charlotte and feed her. Charlotte didn't mind too much as long as she was getting the good stuff.

This was not my plan for how to feed Charlotte, but I'm learning that babies often have their own plans.

Picnic on Campus

2010-03-01T16:59:00.000-08:00

Eleanor loves to climb this tree.

Charlotte likes to chew on everything.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Laundry Day

2010-02-25T11:41:00.001-08:00

Charlotte likes to help with the laundry.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Family

2010-02-15T14:53:00.001-08:00

Eventually we might be able to get all four of us in one picture with less cheese.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Weddings

2010-02-14T15:08:00.000-08:00

When Eleanor was almost five months old, she went to her first wedding. Charlotte is now almost five months old and attended her first wedding yesterday.

We had a blast at the wedding yesterday. Eleanor enjoyed dancing, the kids' table with crayons and play dough and of course the cake. Since she hadn't been to a wedding since she was a baby, we had been telling her about what to expect. On the way there, she asked, "Does everyone get some of the cake or just the people getting married?" By the end of the reception she had decided, "I like weddings."

The top picture is Charlotte with Dave and Tera. The bottom picture is Eleanor with Amy and Brandon.

Sidewalk Chalk

2010-02-12T20:18:00.001-08:00

A Glimpse Into Our Life from m lumpkin on Vimeo.

Happy Valentines Day

2010-02-12T14:40:00.000-08:00

I can't write or read "Happy Valentine's Day" without thinking of Outkast.

Eleanor made Charlotte a Valentine. Charlotte read it carefully.

Eleanor loves holding Charlotte. Charlotte is generally less thrilled about the arrangement. Charlotte had just spit up on her shirt and we had pulled it off. I love that chunky kid.

Who's Who?

2010-02-10T22:04:00.000-08:00

People are always commenting on how much the girls look alike. They do look very much alike, but are also very different. Eleanor was a pretty easy going baby, but Charlotte is even more so most of the time. I don't know how much of the differences are personality and how much are differences in me. I am much more relaxed this time around. I know what I'm doing and am not freaking out and consulting books and websites every time the baby gurgles in a new way. We also have to be more flexible. We cannot always be home for Charlotte's naps, which means she sleeps on the go much better than Eleanor did. Charlotte gives smiles more freely, but was slower to laugh.

For fun, guess the baby:
1

2
3
4

Sister Love

2010-02-10T14:12:00.000-08:00

I'm pretty sure Eleanor gets her fashion sense from Paris.

Charlotte is getting very good at sitting unassisted.

Most of the time.

"Charlotte, we're going to be sisters forever."

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

How We Spend Our Time (or Disjointed Thoughts and Pictures)

2010-02-09T22:20:00.001-08:00

Eleanor has a true love: play dough. She has been begging me to go to Target to buy some off and on for weeks now. Finally, in a moment of clarity, I remembered that I could make some. This provided the fun activity of actually making the dough and then the hours of entertainment the finished product would provide.

Here's the recipe:
1 cup flour
1/4 cup salt
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 cup water
1 tablespoon cooking oil

Mix together in pot. Cook, stirring constantly until lumps form.

We added food coloring to aid in the stain-ability.

Eleanor and I go to a play school on Tuesday mornings. Today the kids made Valentines. 'Twas fun. There are a lot of babies at play school. Eleanor wanted to hold Priscilla today. Priscilla didn't like that much.

For Christmas, my mom gave Eleanor several outfits. Today Eleanor chose pieces of three different outfits to wear. She likes to be colorful.

Eleanor is constantly teaching Charlotte. She will hold up a carrot and say, "See Charlotte, this is a carrot." She tries to explain the world to her little sister. I love watching this process. Eleanor also likes to hug Charlotte. Often. Charlotte doesn't like to be hugged as much. One day Eleanor brought out some dolls to explain to Charlotte why she should like to be hugged: "See Charlotte, if someone bigger than you is squeezing you, they aren't trying to be mean. They are trying to be nice."

Off and on since November, Charlotte has had a diaper rash. I have tried 4 different brands of paper diapers, two types of cloth diapers, 5 or 6 different salves and ointments, and a couple of brands of wipes. I changed her soap, detergent and let her air as much as possible. Finally in desperation, I went to the fabric store and bought a couple of yards of flannel. I sewed up about 30 wipes and bought some of this. After about three days of no commercial wipes, she is finally rash free. I think she may have sensitive skin. Maybe.

But she's super cute. She now weighs 15 pounds and 10 ounces. Chunky baby. She smiles and laughs a lot. She loves watching Eleanor and Eleanor loves being watched. It's a win-win situation.

Sorry these pictures are so bad. My phone is the easiest way to upload posts, but the picture quality just isn't as good.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Schools

2010-02-06T19:21:00.001-08:00

Though it's hard to believe, in about 7 months, this little baby will be starting school. (That's Eleanor, not Charlotte, by the way.) Eleanor will begin kindergarten in September, shortly after her 5th birthday. We have been looking at schools to try to find the best fit for her and us. Our first visit was to McKinley School. It's a good school with a focus on the arts, which is nice since budget cuts have made it hard for schools to keep their music and art classes. This is our default school and is within walking distance (and right by Trader Joe's). There are a couple of things I really didn't like about this school, but overall, it seems like a nice place.

Also on our list of schools to visit are two public charter schools- Aveson and Odyssey. Admission to these schools is chosen by lottery. If your parent works there or a sibling already attends, a child can be guaranteed a spot, otherwise it's the luck of the draw. The school we visited today takes 44 kindergartners (22 per class) and hundreds apply.

One of the things I like about the charter schools is that they have more freedom to modify their approach to the needs of the children. While, unlike McKinley, they did not have the state standards for kindergarten posted on the wall, their test scores are still among the top in the city. We have two more schools to visit, one is a half day program. Eleanor really liked the school we visited today, but her first choice is to "stay home and have Mommy and Daddy teach" her.

The school we visited today had chickens.

And some good guiding principles.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Muffins

2010-01-28T22:49:00.001-08:00

Eleanor and I made delicious muffins today. I'll add the recipe soon.

Here is a link to the recipe: Grape-Nuts Low-Fat Muffins.

I did make a few changes when we made them:
- Instead of 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour, I used 3/4 cup whole wheat flour and 1/2 cup all purpose flour.
- Instead of 1/2 cup of raisins, I used an apple, peeled and finely chopped.
- I may have accidentally doubled the brown sugar. Eleanor was helping.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

A Year of E-isms

2010-01-28T21:22:00.000-08:00

Yes, this is long. These are some of my favorite quotes of Eleanor from 2009.

2009
1-14
I asked E what she would be like when she was grown up. She answered, "I'll talk about boring things."

I was informed by E that she is "really getting into peanut butter." Or, as she explained, "that means I really like it."
1-20
"Why doesn't the computer need blankets when it sleeps?"
1-26
E has Barack Obama and unicorns indelibly connected in her mind.
1-28
I love hearing E exclaim "Hibernate!" as she's going to sleep.
2-1
E takes her Sunday school lessons to heart. She made a temple out of tator tots at lunch.
2-7
E's song: "Jesus is stong, he can catch you."
2-9
I am trying to find the answers to some of life's (ie E's) harder questions, such as "How do rabbits hug and kiss?"
2-25
I just explained to E why you can't talk to God on the phone.
3-2
I'm amazed by E's new logical thinking: "I have two arms, so I can play with this arm and clean with the other one."
3-3
E: "God and Jesus want us to love the bugs in our community."
3-11
I introduced E to Lucky Charms. E now asks for "that cereal that's stuffed full of sugar."
3-13
I was informed by E, "Did you know that you were married before I was born?"
3-15
E thinks that eating chips will help her "grow healthy and strong."
3-17
E's pressing question, "Do pipe cleaners really clean?"
3-20
Reassuring E daily that if the baby is a girl we will name it something other than Eleanor. She's very worried about this.
3-31
E quote today, "Daddy's such a good daddy."
4-2
E calls Mr. Potato Head "Potato Man."
4-5
E's dreams, "A friendly goose came to see me..."
4-7
I was just informed by E that "mouths are kind of like uteruses."
4-12
E asked, "Is Jesus in castles?"
4-18
E said, "I have a plan to go out somewhere after dinner."
4-25
Me: Look Eleanor, you are wearing a striped shirt and striped panties. E: That's so oppressive. (I think she meant impressive.)
4-27
E: Watch this! Me: Wow. You cut play-doh with scissors. E: I'm special like that.
4-28
E's picture of our family includes both Eleanor and "teenage Eleanor."
4-29
I love E's misuse of prepositions: "Let's pray for God to not be scared."
5-6
E drew a picture of Barack Obama playing in my belly with the baby. Apparently, he pulled back my skin and drove his car in. And he has three ears so that he can hear "more good."
5-8
I tried to explain to E that even though Matt is not allergic to monkeys, we can't have one as a pet...even if we keep it outside.
5-18
I was just instructed by E to "make money so God will be invited to the picnic in our hearts.
5-19
I am "a smart woman" according to E.
5-21
E is in her tent "practicing camping." I think she's excited about going camping.
5-29
I love listening to E make her dolls talk. A puppet said, "I just realized that I don't have any feet! But I can still stand up." Two Pollys were talking, "We are similar." Fry (from Futurarama) is the husband and referred to as such.

I was amused and a bit disturbed to hear E say she "would like someone to cut [her] open with a knife so [she] could see what was inside."
6-2
I had to convince E that popcorn is not a good breakfast food, even though, "It's a vegetable. It's good for me!"
6-3
E: "Maybe someday we could build a tree house and get some bears to live in it."
6-4
E finished playing XBox 360 and said, "Now can I watch some videos on YouTube?"
I was the parent in Target who was being followed by a three year old pretending to be "a kitty cat that acts like a frog."
6-7
E just decided she wants a toy garlic press...hmm...do you think they sell those at Target?
6-8
After E "gives birth" to her teddy bear she says, "I'm not so sure about staying at the hospital." My thoughts exactly.
6-9
I tried to explain to E that angels are not "half bird and half human like mermaids are half fish and and half human."
6-10
E says, "I don't like your kisses, but I love you."
6-12
E and I were walking today when we saw some dog poop. E asked what it was, I told her. Then she said, "Oh, I thought it was a human doing the bad habit."
6-15
Warning: If E offers to "beautiful your hair" what she really means is she will get a comb so entangled that drastic measures will need to be taken to get it out.
6-16
I have a "big bum-bum" according to E. Isn't it nice how kids can make you feel so great about yourself? "It's just so big."
6-24
E quote of the day: "U is for uterus!"
6-28
E quote of the day, "Daddy doesn't have milkies."
7-1
E quote: "My toes aren't clear any more. I didn't paint them. One of my friends did. She's a teenager."
7-4
E quote of the day: "Fireworks? Oh, yeah! Those are those polka dots in the sky!"
7-8
E quote of the day, "Sometimes when Big Pig has a lot of babies in her belly, her back gets fat."
7-9
Out of the blue E quote: "People can't sell children. That's why we don't do it in our family."
7-10
I had fun seeing little chubby cheeks on the ultrasound. E kept saying, "I'm excited about the baby. Even if it's a boy it will be okay because then it will be like Elliot." (Elliot is our 6ish month old neighbor that E adores.)
7-11
I was greeted first thing this morning by E saying, "Mommy, let's do laundry today." Me: "We're out of quarters." E: "We can go to the bank and get some." She sure is a problem solver.
7-15
E had a major freak out at swim lessons this morning when her favorite teacher wasn't there. Her talking about it later: "I was covering my eyes so my mouth wouldn't cry."
7-16
I just showed E a picture of the Beatles. Her response: "But they look like humans."
7-18
I wonder if Matt ever thought his SpiderMan action figure would be "imagining he's a princess ballerina." Those commercials are right. Having a kid changes everything.
7-19
I love that when asked to draw a picture of something God loves, E drew herself.
7-21
E just threatened to take away all of my sugary treats.
I was amused and slightly embarrassed when E loudly announced mid-grocery store that two of her Polly Pockets were getting married. Why do all the conservative people I know have to be around when E is leaning to the left?
7-24
Of course it's my kid that falls off her tricycle and exclaims loudly (much to the amusement of passers-by), "Don't worry! I'm not hurt! Well, except for my nipple."
When Calico Critters and Pollys play, strange things happen: "She tried to get married to a cat but the problem was she was a human."
7-25
E: "The flies won't hurt you. Why do you want to kill them?"
7-26
Favorite E out of the blue inquiries of the day: 1. What's an astronaut? 2. Mommy, explain to me why frogs eat bugs. 3. Are cats mammals?
7-29
When passing by a gym yesterday (one with large windows), E asked me about the "trick stairs that people were climbing but never got to the top."
8-1
E's philosophical questions have begun: "Do you think we are toys for a really big person's little girl to play with?"
8-7
E quote of the day: "Uh-oh! Daddy escaped!!" after Matt jumped out of the car at a stop light to go back to work.
8-9
E: "Abby is one of my best friends and they're MOVING."
8-10
E: "Mommy, I'm more excited about the baby than my next party."
8-14
E has taken to calling the baby "that little human inside your belly."
Seriously, how many just turned four-year-olds declare, "No, I don't want you to control me. I want to control me." (This was after I gave her the choice of reading a book or playing with new toys before rest time.)
8-17
E quote (to me): "It's hard for me to lean on you when your stomach's not flat."
8-21
E: When I get older, I'm going to be complicated. Me: You already are. E: You are too, Mommy.
8-23
E: I don't like all my favorite friends moving away. It ruins my day!
8-24
E, regarding a new cake eraser: "How clever! It breaks apart!"
8-27
E was very disappointed to learn about "valet parking." She thought I said "ballet parking," which does sound much more interesting.
8-29
E, while we were sorting beads that she had mixed together: "Why are you forcing me to do this?"
8-31
E: "Mommy, is the baby making you have 'tractions?" I explained to her the other night what a contraction was. Now she periodically feels my belly to check for them.
9-1
E, when I told her that her favorite skirt is dirty: "Then I'm never going to be your child again. I'm never going to be your little helper again."
"I'm sorry crayons. I didn't mean to dump you out. I was just turning on the light. I'm sorry crayons."
9-2
After the 45th tantrum of the day, I asked E why she thought the day was so rough. E: "You need to be nicer to me."
E, while dancing around the living room with small spools of thread on her fingers: "I'm a monster princess, but not a scary one--a nice one."
9-3
E to baby, after expressing concern that the baby might be unsure of its surroundings: "Baby, you're inside a uterus."

Today Cinderella surprised the prince with three babies after they were married. The prince's reaction: "Wait, this is not how the general story goes." Don't worry. Sleeping Beauty stepped up to marry the prince too, so there were two mommies for the babies.
9-10
E was changing clothes when Matt pointed out to her that her panties were on backwards. E: "Oh, so that's why I've been getting so many wedgies."
E, when trying to convince Matt and I that Matt should take her to the playground instead of her going to Target with me: "You should go alone Mommy. That way there won't be any whining or crying."
9-12
E on gender differences: "Boys like guns, but girls like to dance."
E wants to give her friend a flower for his birthday b/c she thinks it's "much more beautifuler than the Star Wars toy."
9-13
E asked me today when we were "going to the hospital to let the baby out." I wish it were that simple.
9-14
E to baby: "Baby, I love you but Mommy wants you to come out."
9-15
E: Why does Harold only have a purple crayon? Why not a blue one?
9-17
E: "I wonder why Dr. Yu doesn't have any toys in her office. Because there's some kids that are going to be big sisters or big brothers and really kids like to play with toys. And so, everytime we go there you make me have to pack toys and stuff to color."
10-9
E just asked if she could have one of my bras to use as "a double sided swing for the Polly's" (Polly Pockets).
10-12
Tonight in Target, E pointed to an ironing board and said, "Look at that surf board!" This indicated two things to me: 1. We don't iron very often (or ever) and 2. Living in SoCal has definitely been influential for E.
10-13
E said her umbrella was a "rain sanctuary." I'm not sure which word I was more surprised she knew--rain or sanctuary.
10-18
E took our worship leader's charge to "worship in whatever way you feel comfortable" to heart and danced in the aisle...at least the song was "Every Move I Make."

In sunday school E learned the story of Joshua and the "battle" of jerico. On the way home she said, "I hope no cities in California fall down when people yell and stomp."
10-26
Me: Be careful not to hurt Charlotte. E, indignantly: I didn't hurt her. No pieces came off.
10-28
E, alone in kitchen: “Watch where you're going chair! I wish the chair had eyes.”
10-29
When I told E that the fluffy pink skirt she wanted at Macy's was too expensive, she crossed her arms and declared, "I wish this was a yard sale."
10-31
I'm pretty sure E is going to be either a politician or a used car salesperson when she grows up: "How about this: we'll make a compromise. I'll rest a little and I'll play a little."
11-16
I ate most of a box of candy before E noticed and asked that I share. Her comment: "Hmm. I wonder why there was only three pieces. Maybe they knew it was sugery and that it was bad for kids and they didn't think kids would share."
11-18
E: "Scout, you're my favorite friend."
11-20
E, talking to her tutu: "Don't worry. I'm not like other girls who would say, 'I'm not going to wear you ever again.' "
11-21
E: "Can't I have some internet?"
11-25
E: "Mommy, Daddy talks for a long time when he starts talking."
11-28
E: "Mommy, come see!! I'm counting and I'm not even leaving out five!"
11-30
E's new tactic to get me off the phone: "Mommy, Charlotte needs your attention."
12-1
My favorite event of the evening was E doing a coin trick. It involved her pretending to throw a coin up in the air, then running in her room, setting it down, coming back and saying, "Where did it go?"

E: "I wish we lived in Arkansas. Then we could see Meme every day. We could go places together and visit each other's houses."
12-2
E's recipe for Sugary Pancakes: "Half cup of flour, sugar, honey and chocolate."
12-3
E: "If you help me clean two rooms, I'll help you make hot chocolate."
12-4
E: "Fridays and Mondays are the two days I want short hair."
E: "I get love from sleeping."
12-5
E, loudly, about C: "Oh look! She's asleep! No, wait, her eyes are open now. Hi Charlotte!"
E: "I'm making money for people who don't have very much money or people who don't have any money. But I can't send them all of my money because then I wouldn't have any money and they would have to send it back."
12-9
"I want to see the man who brings the prizes." (She means Santa)

Everything and Nothing

2010-01-26T20:42:00.001-08:00

Eleanor and Max were baby-sitting the other night (almost literally). Max was amazed by Charlotte's "green poop!!". Here they are fighting over who would get to put the pacifier back in Charlotte's mouth.

In other news, Charlotte had an epic spit-up. Of course, I had to take a picture before I cleaned us both up.

Charlotte enjoys being in the sling. I enjoy carrying her. I put her facing out so she could see and she fell asleep. Today I took the stroller to play school. Eleanor rode in it on the way there. Neither child rode in it on the way home (it's a double stroller). Charlotte was in the sling (she prefers it to the stroller), Eleanor was walking and riding her scooter, and I was pushing the stroller, carrying Charlotte, carrying a not quite dry painting and at times carrying the scooter. I'm getting better at multitasking.

One of my favorite things about Fuller is how many families there are. We met Lukas today. I think he and Charlotte will be good friends.

In other news, this is what we woke up to Saturday morning. This reminded me of my mission to get speed bumps on our street.

-Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Friday Tradition

2010-01-22T17:50:00.000-08:00

Most Fridays we eat at this little Chinese resturant for lunch. We've been going there weekly for about two years now. The owner (known to us as "Boba Man") gives Eleanor (known to him as Boba Girl) a free drink as soon as we walk in the door. All week I look forward to the sugary, caffeinated milk tea with boba. Last Friday we went with our friends who were visiting.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Afternoon Activities

2010-01-20T19:13:00.000-08:00

Eleanor's room (soon to be Charlotte's as well) was in great need of straightening. Eleanor dusted and helped put toys away. Charlotte watched.
Before:

After:

Charlotte smiles often and with her whole face. She's quite fun.

Happy Four Months to Charlotte!

2010-01-19T20:48:00.001-08:00

Our little darling is four months old! That's so crazy. I can't believe how fast the time has flown. Charlotte's favorite things to do these days include taking a bath, kicking, laughing and chewing.

Charlotte also loves watching her sister. Eleanor loves her sister as well.

(Sorry for the poor picture quality. I didn't realize until after the fact that I had the wrong lens for indoor pics.)

Little Artist

2010-01-17T22:46:00.000-08:00

Eleanor spent a good deal of today painting. She painted people, flowers and this monster. She kept saying she was practicing so she could paint like the pictures we saw at the museum.

We made a quick trip the the grocery store this evening. An employee gave Eleanor a balloon with a lollipop attached. As she happily ate her lollipop, she was trying to explain to me how this one was different from other lollipops she's had, that it was better. I asked her what made it so good and she started singing, loudly, "Sugar, sugar, sugar," while waving the lollipop around. I saw a couple pass judgment on me and look at her in amusement.

The Getty

2010-01-16T22:18:00.001-08:00

One of my favorite parts of being a parent is introducing Eleanor (and Charlotte soon) to new things. I love hearing her reactions and watching her comprehend. Today we went with our good friends to The Getty. Every time we go there, I wonder why we don't go there more often. It's an amazingly beautiful place that is free to the public (there is a fee for parking).

Charlotte slept happily in her wrap most of the time. Eleanor enjoyed learning how a bronze statue is made in one exhibit. She learned about the types of brushes and quills that Rembrandt used, but did not want to learn to write with a feather. In another exhibit, she saw medieval manuscripts and learned about how they were decorated (as seen below). They even had a place for children (and adults) to make their own manuscript page.

My favorite part of the afternoon was taking Eleanor to the European Impressionist Exhibit. These paintings were big and colorful. There was a portrait of Princess Leonilla. Eleanor thought she was pretty, but didn't understand how she could be a princess if she didn't have a movie about her.

She seemed to like Monet. She saw the picture below and said, "It looks like pointy cupcakes." We then had a long conversation about wheat stacks.

Donut

2010-01-16T13:00:00.001-08:00

Saturday morning donuts (bagels for the adults)

- Posted using BlogPress from
my iPhone

Eleanor gets a piggy back ride home. She found a window that was just the right size.

Trying New Ap

2010-01-15T21:37:00.000-08:00

I think this ap will work better.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Climbing

2010-01-15T18:49:00.001-08:00

Ben helps Eleanor climb.

Kidspace with Friends

2010-01-15T18:40:00.001-08:00

Wonderful friends, Ben and Brandy Utter, came to visit. Eleanor convinced us to go to Kidspace.

A Few of My Favorite Things

2010-01-13T14:47:00.000-08:00

Eleanor and Charlotte are four years apart. In those four years, we moved across the country. Time and distance meant there was a lot of baby stuff that was lost, misplaced or given away. Also in those four years I've been introduced to more baby products, some new and some just new to me. This post is about some of my favorite things this go around.

1. Sleepy Wrap

This is a long piece of stretchy fabric that was given to me as a gift. Honestly, I didn't think I would use it much. It looked difficult and cumbersome. I tried it with Charlotte shortly after she was born and used it almost every day for three months. It is one of the most comfortable carriers I have ever worn because the straps are soft and very wide to distribute the weight. Charlotte would take long naps in here, safe and secure. I love using it in public places where people are tempted to touch or breath on babies. She stayed cocooned during flu season. I found it extremely helpful in airports, especially since TSA no longer makes you take off baby carriers.

If you are familiar with baby products, this is similar to a Moby Wrap. I actually borrowed a Moby but found it much more difficult to use. The fabric is different and it was harder for me to get a secure fit.

2. Halo SleepSack Swaddle

We had sleep sacks for Eleanor, but not one like this. Charlotte sleeps in this almost every night. Unfortunately, hers is fleece and it is quite warm here, so we can't use it all the time. This makes swaddling so easy and diaper changes easy as well. I love it.

Oh, I guess there were only two. If I think of other new things that I like, I'll let you know.

This Blog Needs Help

2010-01-12T20:57:00.000-08:00

We have had this blog for almost six years (yikes!). It began as a way for Matt and I to journal our adventures in Indonesia, then in pregnancy and then in parenthood. Facebook has almost taken over as a means for sharing pictures and stories, but that has unintentionally excluded some. So, my 2010 goal (one of them at least) is to revamp this blog and share more pictures and stories of our lives here (for anyone who might still be interested).

Here are my goals:
- update the template
- update the links with links to Facebook and picasa albums
- blog at least weekly (with pictures)

I just bought an application for my phone that will allow me upload posts away from the computer.
In case any of you (or maybe I should say either of you) didn't know, Matt has a blog where he posts some of his art, thoughts, and such here.

First Bath and Today

2009-11-30T15:23:00.000-08:00

Who's Who?

2009-11-02T20:21:00.000-08:00

People are constantly either asking me if Eleanor and Charlotte look alike or telling me that they do. Do you see it?

Charlotte at six weeks

Eleanor at six weeks

Charlotte in hospital

Eleanor in hospital

Aw, sisters.

And to the anonomous Meme who posted: Sorry, we didn't get any Halloween shots. Yeah, we're bad parents. I forgot to take pictures, but I didn't forget a child, so we're really doing pretty good.

S is for Sisters

2009-10-24T17:27:00.000-07:00

The blog was a bit overdue for a new name.

So Many Decisions

2009-09-15T10:19:00.000-07:00

Eleanor loves to lay out all her clothing options so she can better choose what she wants to wear. These were the top five contending outfits today. She was excited because I washed all of her "favorite twirly clothes" yesterday. The winner today was the white skirt with pink leggings and a green and blue plaid top.

LA County Fair

2009-09-07T18:53:00.000-07:00

We ventured out to the LA County Fair today. Unfortunately, since it was Labor Day everyone else had the same idea. What should have been a 30 minute car ride turned into two hours of sitting in traffic. I guess it wouldn't be the LA County Fair unless you experienced a major part of LA in getting there. Once we finally got in, we went straight to see animals. We saw a baby sheep that was two hours old and all sorts of other livestock. While we were in the maternity barn, a goat was giving birth to twins (at least, one was out, one was immanent and there might have been a third). There was a huge crowd around that pen, so we didn't see that, but a man was giving a play by play of the birth over the loud speaker. As someone who will soon be in a similar situation to the goat, I felt very sorry for the poor goat.

Matt and Eleanor went through a hay bale "maze."

Eleanor wanted to ride a Ferris wheel. I'm not sure how she knew about Ferris wheels, but it was a major attraction for her. The closest one to where we were was in the kid's area. It was smaller, but she still loved it. She said, "I was a little bit scared, but when we when we went faster and faster and faster, I liked it."

Here's the little bit scared part:

It wouldn't be a fair without a funnel cake. I introduced Eleanor to this delicacy today. She kind of liked it:) Her plan was, "every time we come here to the fair, we need to buy one of these for the whole family to eat." I told her that was a good plan.

One of my favorite sites was in the parking lot.

Eleanor is a good passenger, if not a bit mischevious.

Sushi, Parking, and the Carousel

2009-08-24T15:39:00.000-07:00

The other day I found this pouch that had six tiny dolls in it. I had bought them at 10,000 Villages once for a small purse toy. They have helped her quietly play in church services, resturants and such. At some point E added various tiny nativty scene characters to the bag: a couple of wise men, baby Jesus, a camel, a cow and a sheep. I stuck the pouch in my purse and pulled it out later at a resturant while we were waiting for our food. E played happily with all the small people/animals. When we got home, she asked for them again. She said they were hungry. When I walked in the room, I found them all eating sushi. My favorite was baby Jesus upside down on top of some sort of fish eggs.

I had a doctor's apointment this morning. Eleanor went with me, and since our doctor's office is within sight of E's favorite mall (is it bad that she's four and has a favorite mall?), we decided to have a mall day. Mall days consist of riding the carousel, boba (the boba place at the mall has mini boba, which E calls "baby boba"), and "Panda Food" or lunch at Panda Express. I don't go there with E if I want to get any shopping done, but it's a nice air conditioned place to walk. Today I even let E play in the play area, which I usually avoid, and realized that she is getting too big for it. This didn't stop other parents from allowing their school age boys to trample toddlers and flip each other off. My favorite thing about today's trip:

There are three of these parking spaces that I've found in various lots. I got the one in the parking deck, which meant not only was I right by the door, but my car stayed cool. Beautiful.

Eleanor's favorite part of the trip was the carousel. She got a letter last week with money earmarked for carousel riding. She was pretty happy about that.

Decisions

2009-08-13T08:37:00.000-07:00

I heard Eleanor scoot a stool over to her new wardrobe and ponder, "What do I want to wear today?"

Dancing

2009-08-12T21:47:00.000-07:00

Eleanor's favorite thing to do these days is dance. She loves skirts that twirl, ribbons that swirl, and, most of all, an audience. I'm looking for a ballet class for her that fits her age and development. In the mean time, ask to see her arabesque. She's quite proud of it.

Four Years, One Hat

2009-08-09T22:17:00.000-07:00

(She wouldn't wear it on her second birthday. It was there though.)

Happy 4 Years to E!

2009-08-04T19:42:00.000-07:00

Monday was Eleanor's fourth birthday. Crazy, isn't it? Here's a couple of pictures from her birthday. We'll have a party on Saturday and break out the good camera, so you can look forward to better pictures.

We took E to Kidspace, a muesum/play area for children. Scout (and fam) went with us. We had a picnic while we were there that included cupcakes with princess rings on top. I think they liked them:)

There were these huge climbing structures. This one is called raindrops or something like that. Eleanor would go up ten or fifteen feet, but wouldn't go all the way to the top. She enjoyed seeing a blue world.

After rest time, E got to open some presents. Of course she wanted to wear her Cinderella dress while doing so. It was so fun to watch her open these gifts. You could see the thought process of wanting to open the next one, but really wanting to play with what she had just opened.

Cinderella

2009-08-02T22:46:00.000-07:00

I Tom Sawyered Eleanor into scrubbing the kitchen floor tonight. She kept thanking me for letting her play with the spray bottle (filled with water). My favorite part was she was wearing her Cinderella dress.

Pregnancy Through the Eyes of Eleanor

2009-07-24T14:37:00.000-07:00

Last week, E drew this picture of me:

This week, she drew this one:

Apparently, as the baby and I grow, we get less happy. She told me that the scribbles around the baby are the "am-ni-odded fluid."

Eleanor, Curious George and Lisa Bear (her Carebear) were giving the baby hugs and feeling it move. A fun time was had by all.

On a side note, mixing red silly putty with play doh can have disastrous results. Eleanor and her friend Scout had a blast playing with this concoction until I literally caught them red handed. I must have scrubbed their hands for five solid minutes, only to leave a ring around the sink--very much like the cake ring in The Cat in the Hat Comes Back.

Just so you know, we are constantly stopping to smell the roses.

Camping

2009-05-27T07:35:00.000-07:00

We went camping over Memorial Day weekend with a big group of people from our church. The camp grounds were in Malibu cayon and were beautiful. This state park is most famous for being the filming site of MASH and something else I forgot. All the landscape looked very much like MASH, but not so much like Korea (from pictures I've seen).

We spent Saturday at Leo Carillo beach. Matt surfed. Eleanor played in the sand. I hung out under the umbrella.

I'm pretty sure Eleanor loves camping so much because of the food. We had a very loose policy this weekend concerning what she ate and she enjoyed that immensely: Frosted Flakes for breakfast, Cheetos for lunch, s'mores after dinner.

Sunday we went hiking. We only made the three-ish mile hike instead of the 5ish one to the MASH site or longer to Reagan's ranch. Eleanor caught a ride the whole time. Matt was pretty wiped by the end of the hike.

Eleanor enjoyed sharing snacks with Brady. Mostly because Brady had Cheetos.

She was also able to get a little fishing in using Brady's pole. She didn't catch anything and I'm pretty sure she would have dropped the pole if she had.

Eleanor also decided this weekend on a new profession: a "wheat cutter." Forget dreams of being a "baby doctor" or an artist, she's on to more noble pursuits.

The Saturday Between Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday

2009-04-13T22:37:00.000-07:00

Easter Egg hunt at Fuller started a bit early for some.

Neighbor, Eli was ready to go.

Thomas, Mary and little Audrey turned out as well.

"And Go!"

E was not in a hurry (Dress courtesy of Memaw).

She did find an egg. I had goldfish inside. We encouraged her to look for more but she replied: "I found one already." We did not wish to change her lack of greed.

Later she went to climb on a prominent statue in the center of Fuller Seminary's campus depicting the crucifixion of Jesus. Eleanor likes to hug the man swinging the hammer and ask me why they wanted to hurt Jesus. This Good Friday is the first she has asked about the crucifixion. We read to her a couple of versions from children's Bibles before a wonderful service at church made the mystery evident to her in sight, sound, word and song. It is truly amazing experiencing worship and the Christian story through the eyes of someone who is still putting it all together. It is a reminder that we are all still putting it all together.

Later (after a change of clothes) we dyed eggs.

Eleanor loves food coloring. I love stacking things.

Melody and Eleanor both love to eat hard boiled eggs.

Easter Pictures

2009-04-13T22:05:00.000-07:00

Eleanor looked absolutely adorable Easter morning. Unfortunately, the sun was too bright and I didn't use the good camera. I should have had her stand in the shade, then we could have gotten a better picture and a less squinty face. Eleanor was so excited to wear her new dress, new shoes, and new lace socks. She asked for braids, which her hair is now long enough for (two french braids). The only part of her outfit that didn't match was her hair rubber bands. She insisted on one purple one (her favorite color most days) and one blue one (her next favorite color most days).

Sister got graham crackers

Mouth full of chocolate

Sharing some Easter snacks with Sister

A forced smile:

And on a different note, Eleanor has been drawing pictures of babies "inside the uterus." Here's one that she gave to me. Note the two hairs. The circles on the side of the head are ears.

Guess

2009-04-09T19:30:00.000-07:00

What do you think she's eating?

Huntington Beach Party 2009!

2009-04-07T16:43:00.001-07:00

Pictues from Lately

2009-04-07T16:34:00.000-07:00

The PC has been broken but now it's fixed so you get a flood from our backlog of pics. If you have trouble seeing the slideshow above please comment and/or click on it to see the photo album where they're hosted.

Eleanor's Art

2009-04-03T14:28:00.000-07:00

Matt recently discovered a huge stack of old theology papers and decided to put them to good use. Now Eleanor has a huge pile of blank (on one side) paper at her disposal. That means more pictures. Her people are getting more detailed and interesting. Here is a self-portrait:

Notice the teeth. The scanner didn't get the colors quite right. Her hair is highlighter yellow in the original, not orange.

Here is a picture of me (Melody). She always says that my hair is brown and draws it as such. My teeth aren't quite as straight as hers, but they are the same shade of blue. I like my eyelashes.

This one she did this morning. It's four people "playing in boxes." The top left corner and the bottom right corner are Matt and I, but I forgot which is which. The top right corner is Eleanor when she was a baby (notice the "two hairs"). The forth picture (bottom left) is my grandma, or Grandma Night-Night as E calls her. She died last year and E went with me to her funeral. Eleanor brings her up in conversation at least once a week. I asked Eleanor what it was all over Grandma's face and she said, "that's her old." I think she means wrinkles.

And a rainbow:
The other creative way Eleanor is expressing herself these days is through her clothing choices. I tend to let her choose her own clothing as long as they are appropriate for the weather. Sometimes I make suggestions or veto something, but mostly I let her decide. This leads to interesting attire. Today I picked out a hoodie that was blue with dark blue stripes on the hood and sleeves. It had two birds stitched on the front pocket, one of them was pink. I suggested some jeans to go with it. E had other ideas. She wanted to wear "softie pants" which are second best to anything that "twirls." The pair that she insisted on have brown stripes with patterns in the stripes. She said they matched because the small pink hearts on the pants matched the pink bird. I tried to take a picture, but the battery in my camera is dead.

Dressup

2009-03-26T21:47:00.000-07:00

Dressup from Matt Lumpkin on Vimeo.

E enjoys dressing up and describes her attire.

Dancing Princess from Matt Lumpkin on Vimeo.

E dresses up and dances like a princess to the Chemical Brothers.

Adventure

2009-03-26T10:14:00.000-07:00

Adventure from Matt Lumpkin on Vimeo.

E leads us on an adventure on an out of the way corner of Fuller's campus. Then, upon encountering neighbors, Harrison and Lindsay, leads them upon a similar adventure.

Motherboard

2009-03-14T22:23:00.001-07:00

Matt and Eleanor went out for breakfast this morning and then to a few yard sales around. Eleanor came home and informed me, "Daddy bought a new motherboard. It's funny because it's has 'mother' in the name."

Matt did buy a couple of computer components (for very little $) and should have the computer up and running again in a couple of weeks. He is going into finals week and won't be able to work on it until after that.

The problem with taking young children to yard sales is that people give them junk. Eleanor takes her own money when she goes and will sometimes choose something to buy (usually stickers or something small). We see this as sort of a beginning education in dealing with money. Today, Eleanor bought an Easter basket with a little duck in it. She was given a ring, a book and stickers. Hmm.

I had a doctor's appointment yesterday. Eleanor came with us and really enjoyed hearing baby's heartbeat. All is going well.

No New Pics

2009-03-12T13:55:00.000-07:00

We have lots of pictures that I want to post, but daylight savings killed our computer. Matt worked out a laptop running Linux for me to use, but I can't scan E's fun new artwork or post pictures until we get a Windows running machine working again. The computer needs a new part (graphics card or video card or something like that), so when we get the $ for the part and Matt gets the time to put it in, you will get pictures again:)

Anyway, there has been a severe shortage of posts lately. I've been felling very unhuman because I'm growing another human. Yes, that means I'm pregnant (due mid-September). Until about two weeks ago, looking at screens was on the (long) list of things that induced nausea (also on that list were going into the kitchen, chocolate, food, riding in a car, talking, and being awake).

The baby should be here in September. Eleanor is beyond excited. She gives the baby hugs on a daily basis and alternately tells people that she's going to have a baby brother and a baby sister. Of course, being the inquisitive child she is, she wants to know how the baby got in my belly, how it eats and lots of other fun stuff. When we answer her questions, we do so with small bits of age appropriate information. We also use correct terminology, so don't be surprised if Eleanor tells you something about a uterus or sperm.

Since I can't give you pictures, I'll give you even more words. Here's some Eleanorisms of late:

Upon waking up one morning: "Jesus and God want us to love the bugs in our community."

In a conversation about school: "Big people go to school too, they just don't have times." I asked what she meant, her explanation: "They don't have times. You know, like snack time and craft time and parachute time."

"Jesus died and then he became God."

"Jesus is very, very old. He has a BIG beard."

"I have two arms, so I can play with this arm and clean with the other one."

We talk a lot with E about privileges and consequences. She still gets a bit confused. She told me this story the other night: "Last night, I ran away from Daddy and I lost my consequence."

Eleanor also sat through an entire sermon for the first time last week. She goes in stages of not liking being in the nursery, so we don't force her to go as long as she sits quietly in the service. Usually she is ready to go to the nursery by the end of the song service. Last Sunday, she asked to stay in the service. She was behaving well, so I let her. She alternately listened intently and drew in the bulletin. As we were walking up the stairs to our home, I asked her what Pastor Connie talked about.
She told me: "Jesus." (true)
Me: "What did she say about Jesus?
E: "That Jesus wants us to love other people."
That was the main idea of the sermon. There was obviously more to it than that, but if she can listen and take that away it's a good start.

Books and Dancing

2009-02-15T11:47:00.000-08:00

This is how Eleanor likes to read. Actually, she just likes to read. One of our neighbors stayed with her for a couple of hours the other morning. When Matt and I got back, Eleanor showed us the stack of books Sarann had read to her. I was impressed with Sarann's reading stamina.

For Christmas, Eleanor got a complete dancing costume. She tried it out the other morning...and then didn't want to take it off. She went to Target ballet style.

The other day Matt was going somewhere and called me as soon as he walked out the door saying I needed to see the special limo parked outside. It is not unusual for limos to be parked in front of our house, but this was not exactly what I was expecting. SoCal is so fun.

Dresses

2009-02-07T17:42:00.000-08:00

Eleanor was more than a little thrilled to get a new dress in the mail last week. The best part about this dress was that there was a matching dress for Eleanor's baby (and the dress twirls, an extra bonus).

Eleanor was reading to Caroline and Sister the other day.

The tease is over. Xmas 2009

2009-01-24T13:58:00.000-08:00

Playing...

From xmas 08

Reading...

From xmas 08

Gifts...

From xmas 08

Hiking...

From xmas 08

Still Teasing

2009-01-15T20:49:00.000-08:00

The Fankhausers are always kind enough to provide us with a place to crash when we first get into Little Rock. They are good people and good friends. In this picture: E, Micah, and Silas. Not pictured: Baby Liza, Alice and Joel.

Lumpkin Family Xmas Teaser

2008-12-30T20:37:00.001-08:00

more to come after our 7 hour journey home

Friends

2008-12-09T14:34:00.000-08:00

Today Eleanor and I went to a mall with Scout and her mom. They had so much fun riding together.

We rode the carousel again today. Eleanor asked to do that several days ago, so I obliged. This is a fun carousel with two levels. She wanted to ride an animal on the top this time. As she was climbing the stairs, she exclaimed, "I'm so excited! I've never done this before!" She had a great time looking up to see how the mechanism worked.

And here's some foreshadowing of things to come. Any guesses?

Turkey Fun

2008-11-27T17:48:00.000-08:00

I cooked my first turkey this year. It was fairly simple. I followed America's Test Kitchen Cookbook's directions and all went well.

Before:

After:

We had a nice little feast.

Eleanor got a turkey leg and throughly enjoyed it.

Pumpkin Fun

2008-11-27T15:15:00.000-08:00

I let the pumpkin I was going to use to make pies sit a little too long. I asked Matt to dispose of it. We live on the second floor of a three story house. The dumpster is at the back of our parking lot.

It looks like it's going to make it....

but it bounces off the side.

Real Thanksgiving pictures will be later.

Chuck E Cheese

2008-11-24T21:51:00.000-08:00

Becca and Luke drove down to spend Thanksgiving with us. Today we took Eleanor to Chuck E Cheese for her first visit. Her favorite prat was feeding the tickets into the counting machine.

On the other hand, Matt and Luke really enjoyed the video games.

Eleanor rode this roller coaster simulator. It kind of tilted along with a video. Not so cool. She kept asking, "Why is it a roller coaster?"

It was a fun trip. I think she liked it. I got my skeeball fix, so all is well.

Hatching

2008-11-11T19:27:00.001-08:00

Eleanor has been really into Silly Putty lately. It can be anything from a swimming pool for her Little People, a nest for the eggs, or the food she's cooking. Tonight as I was cooking dinner, she made dinner out of Silly Putty, pancakes I think.

The other morning I asked Eleanor, "How many ponytails do you want, one or two?" She answered, "Five." I did my best.