A New Definition of Gross

We spent the most lovely morning at an apple orchard yesterday.  Blue bird sky, cool fall air, happy family of four.  Absolutely perfect.  While we were waiting for our turn to take a whirl around the orchard on a tractor pulled wagon, we happily munched on our new apples in the sunshine.  I had to help Piper with her apple a few times - wipe the gravel off after dropping it, rotate it so she wouldn't eat all of the core, etc.  After helping one of those times, I noticed that my own apple had dripped down the back of my hand.  Without even thinking, I licked it off.  It wasn't apple juice. It was warm, salty, oozy, thick snot.  Are you gagging yet?  Yes, Piper has a cold, and I have now tasted it.  

Piperisms

Piper: "I runned, Ha-lee boomed me."
Translation: I'm crying because Hadley knocked me over.

Piper: "Why you say, For Love, Mama?"
Translation: Why do you say, "For the love?"
Me: Hmm, I bet other people would like to know that as well, but I don't know? (Maybe because I can't say anything worse around you two little crazies!)

Piper: "Poop is lounging, AGAIN, Mama."
Translation: The poop you just dumped out of my diaper into the toliet, clogged it again, and its at the bottom of the toliet (apparently lounging!).

Piper: "Mompea!"
Translation: Her latest name for me.  What?

Piper: "I mitt you, Ha-lee."
Translation: I missed you, Hadley (she tells Hadley this every time we pick her up from preschool).

Piper: "I have the little ever-est grape."
Translation:  I have the littlest grape ever (like its a competition or something!).  

Piper: "Ha-lee is a good big sistey."
Translation: Hadley is a good big sister.

Piper: "Why he called, Mark?"
Translation: Why is his name, Mark (or any name she hasn't heard before).
Me: "That's what his parents named him."
Piper: "That a silly name!" (again, with any name she hasn't heard).

Piper: "Why you say, WAHHH, Mama?"
Me: Because there was a crazy (dumb) driver that cut me off.

Piper: "I not lovey, I Piper Kay-lyn."
Translation: I am not lovey (or any name we call her lately) I am Piper Carolyn.  And when someone asks for her name, she carefully gives them both her first and middle name.  Hadley has even picked up on this, and can be heard hollering "Pipo Kay-o-lyn" throughout the house, sometimes not so nicely...like when Piper decides to break one of the 'house rules' (e.g.; no seat dropping on the couch, no skin the cat-ting under the end tables, etc.) that Hadley and I are so keen on (as the first born-bossy boots of our family!). 

Piper: "I not like boc-a-ley!"
Translation: I don't like broccoli, or anything that resembles it.  Don't even try to sneak the stalks into my stir fry or pasta or soup, I will know and will inevitably toss them off my tray.  Don't say I didn't warn you.

Piper: "I want to sa-lide and sa-wing."
Translation: I want to go out back to slide and swing.  And I will add a vowel to any other consonant blend in my vocabulary too (ba-rush my teeth, go ta-wins, I see a ba-lue bird, etc.) but I will get both consonants in.

There is nothing sweeter than the sound of your child's voice.  But there is something extra cute and even funny about a two year old's voice.  I don't know if its all that extra cheek fat that makes their voices so unwittingly cute that you just want to squeeze their little face everytime they say something, OR if it has something to do with their developing motor skills related to speech production (Uh, probably the latter, if I take off my mommy hat, and refit the speech therapist's hat from my former life I would know that!).  Either way, its the kind of sweet that you only get from a triple scoop of ice cream or a litter of new furry puppies, and I wouldn't trade this time in Piper's life for anything.  

That video was taken right before her 2nd birthday in August.  She opened up my hosta encyclopedia and just started asking away.  Kyle and I laugh daily at the crazy amount of inflection in her voice. What a blessing video cameras are!

Dance Party

Much to Hadley & Piper's delight, my parents came for a visit this weekend. As usual we had loads of fun being together, but we seemed to get the most laughs out of Hadley's latest obsession...performing her own dance recitals.  Almost every day she dons some kind of tutu or twirly skirt, tights, and maybe even fairy wings to dance on her homemade couch-cushion-stage.  Sometimes to Disney music, and other times to her very own made up songs which usually have some form of "Graceful dancing" in the lyrics or even "Piper can't dance on my stage, she's not old enough" lyrics.  It was Grandpa's grand idea yesterday to make it into a dance party... we all sat along the 'stage' and waited to see who would be tapped and therefore chosen to be next.  Here's a little snippet of the action...

Hadley: The Pro (nice tongue action, I want to say that is an Anderson trait?)

Piper: The Novice, and probably thinking, "FINALLY I get to try out this stage!"

Grampie: Apparently also a Pro (turning the big 55 next week!)

Kyle: The Dancing Machine, almost touching the ceiling with his head!  (Note: My mom and I were clearly the best and most qualified dancers, but we twirled so fast all the pictures were blurry.)

We did spend much of the day out in the glorious fall sunshine.

And as always, were spoiled rotten with all of their snuggles, hugs, and special treats!  Thanks for coming, we LOVED it!

 

Chalk Family

Hadley surprised me today, and drew her very first person.  We were outside trying to get a bit of the fresh nippy air before the rain came in, and she just picked up some chalk and drew herself.  There is something really special about witnessing your child's first drawing of themselves.  She quickly followed it up with a proportional Piper (how fun that she chose to draw her sister next).  Then came a very very long Daddy, and a slightly shorter (but with enormous feet, hehe) me.  A family.  She drew our family.  With two toned eyes, stripey bodies, and smiles.  A happy family.  I could not have been more blessed by a chalk drawing. 

'Hadley'





















From left to right - Me, Kyle, Piper, & Hadley

Fresh Fall Air

We spent a spectacular 'fall' morning out at the land breathing in as much of that fresh air as we possibly could!  We were greeted by a beautiful monarch that hovered on the ground next to us trying to get warm (and probably wondering, just like we were - When did fall arrive?).  

 

The real purpose for spending time out at the land was that Piper, once again, found the green tree swing hidden in our garage over the weekend.  Kyle bought it nearly a year ago, but hasn't had time to get it up yet (it looks exactly like the one she adores at my parent's house).  She sobbed AGAIN, of course, because she couldn't swing in it!  Kyle went out a little before us this morning to put an end to it all - hoisted it into a tree, made it real secure, and Pipey finally got her 'swing on'!

Um, yah, we just couldn't resist. Piper found it hilarious, but Hadley was certain we were going to break it!

First Day of Preschool!

Hadley began preschool today! It was a 'learn about school' day as Hadley put it (she was joined by Daddy too). But, I'm quite positive I had the most butterflies this morning! And while it was hard and even a little scary if I am honest, I know it is time to help her stretch her wings a little. 

Despite being certain she did not want to attend school last spring, she awoke with a smile this morning and returned from preschool with a gleam of pride in her eyes! She'll get to try just a half session by herself on Thursday, and next week she'll begin going the whole 2.5 hour class by herself twice a week. 

Labor Day Weekend Picnic

We spent the weekend up with Kyle's family, and they took us on a spectacular picnic to Amnicon Falls.  The girls thought the falls were pretty cool ('coola' as Piper put it), but what they really enjoyed was walking along the trails holding onto the hands of their cousins and aunties.  

The whole picnicking gang :)