Stringhamisms

I have been thinking today of all the "funny" little phrases that my kids use or have used and decided that I don't want to forget these when I'm older so I should write them down. A friend of mine uses the term "Trumanism Tuesday" to write about things her son Truman says. SO, I'm stealing her idea and running with it. I'll add more the next few days as I think about them.

• Jenni says "iss" instead of "if"
• Jaylee said "hunchers who hunch" instead of "hunters"
• They both said "Calipittars"
• Jenni learned her name first by saying it as two names. "Jenni. Belle."
• Jaylee could say "Jay" and she could say "Lee", but she couldn't put them together when she was 2!!
• Jenni would get so upset when she heard someone call another person a "meani-mac" (maniac)
• I say "Funny? Like, funny haha?!?"
• They both prayed before dinner in Preschool years "God is great. God is good. And we thank him for our food. By his hands we all are fed, give us Lord our daily bread. Amen"
• All 3 of us girls say "woof" instead of "wolf".
• Jaylee MADE us call her "Alysia" (Dora the Explorer's cousin) when she was 3 years old or so.
• Jennibelle likes to tell us which character she would be from whichever show we are watching... usually the prettiest most lady like character.
• The girls refer to Jenni as "JB"
• They call Poppop "Poppolotagus"
• When Jaylee was 3, we would have to play "Air Stringham" any time we drove anywhere.
• Jenni says "Actually, ..." a lot.
• Jenni likes to have her "favorite things" done (cleaning out her ears and under her nails)
• They called Morgan "Morgana" when she was first born
• Jenni prays for "Boop" or "Cookie" every day at PreK and at every dinner time.
• Jenni thinks that thumbs are "fumbs" and laughs at us when we try to correct her, like we are wrong!

Mommy Daughter Date

Mommy Daughter Date

After Jaylee and Daddy left for their dance last night, Jenni and I got to have our special night together!!! She was very excited for it and even turned down Meg's offer to take her out for ice cream!!! I had bought her a Daffodil from the Cancer Society earlier that day and gave it to her. We went for a bike ride and walk around the block and then settled in to watch Charlotte's Web.

She loves to "do my makeup" and then wanted me to do her's also... Fancy Shmancy!!!

Then I did her "favorite things"... I run my fingers all around her ears, inside and out then I clean out her finger nails with mine and trace her fingers with my finger, and then I do the same thing to her toes. Then she offered to do my favorite things. I LOVE when the girls draw on my back... yep... draw on my back. It started when I was pregnant with Jenni and Jaylee was very into drawing. I would be exhausted at night and Jaylee would want to draw, so I let her draw all over my big prego belly with washable markes... VERY RELAXING!!!!!!!!! Jenni and I are both very tactile people. So since I've had Jenni, Jaylee cont'd to draw on my back when I needed to lay and relax and she need something to keep her busy. Jenni does not enjoy drawing on back BUT last night she came up with the idea of drawing on my back with my makeup... TA DA!!!!! It is the perfect compromise for Jenni and I!!! She enjoyed how my back turned out so well that she asked me to do hers... and then she wanted her belly done too.

I thought they looked pretty cool at my first makeup drawings, so we snapped some shots...

Her belly "face"

The eyeshadow flowers faded when she was pulling her nightgown up and down!

It may be quirky, but it is these special times that the girls and I will remember... spending uninterupted time with each other... no TV or other distractions, just converastion and art!!!!

Spring 2010

Spring 2010 Has Sprung

Happy first day of Spring!!!! What a week we have had... 70' everyday and beautifully sunny with crips cool mornings (great for snuggling in after working all night!). We've had many signs of Spring around our house lately...

Jenni, me, Mandy and Morgan having a BBQ last week.

A few of the Tulips we planted last year have popped up.

We've been taking our Nature Walks and fiding other signs of Spring along the way.

Jennibelle loves tree buds!
Jenni posing in the Spring clothes she got from The Attic Store (our attic).

Lots of bike riding!!
Jaylee picked right up on her 2 wheeler again and Jenni is loving this fast tricycle.

Jaylee and Jenni's hair is growing like a Spring weed also!

So much time is spent out on the swings!!!

Jenni helped me pick out and plant pansies and violas yest.

Time to play ball!!

Here's Nan and Poppop playing soccer with Jenni and Morgan playing with her ball.

Today Jaylee AND Jenni learned how to throw a football - beautifully!!!

Jennibelle LOVES to draw with chalk on the sidewalks!

Her she conned Brian into joining her.

Jaylee & Jason went to the Daddy Daughter Dance.

Jennibelle and her bubbles!!!!!!!

She likes to go to her friend Emily's and blow bubbles for her too!!

MANDY IS HAVING A BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The excitement was too much for Morgan to handle!

We tried to make Devilled Eggs in celebration of Spring, but the yolks weren't cooked enough, so we made Easter Egg Monsters!!!

The 5th one from the left was made by Jaylee for Jason as a Thank You Present for taking her to the dance last night. She talked about it all day!!!

Here's a video of Jenni on her bike... zooming away!!!

LOVE THIS GIRL!!!

Jaylee's Broken Arm

Jaylee's Broken Arm!!!

Oh Jaylee...

What a way to spend your first Spring evening... in the ER!!

She got to go to The Castle Roller Skating with a friend, Emma, but tripped coming off of the skate floor.

Luckily, Emma's parents were great and took her right to the ER. She was in a lot of pain & we could tell she was initally crying, but by the time we arrived at the hospital, she was as tough as nails!!! Her left forearm just didn't look right but it was covered in a tight sock and ice, so we were hoping for the best. When they took Jaylee for her xrays, I saw for the first time just how much pain she was in, trying to move her arm and hold it still for the xrays. So, then I touched it a little bit, and could actually feel the bones on the bottom side of her forearm... yikes!!!

Here we're waiting to see the Dr after having some xrays done.

Jeninbelle kept telling her BFF that she wasn't going to be mad if Jaylee told her what to do tpday b/c she knew that Jaylee needed her help now! We had just sat down to eat when we got the call that we had to go to the hospital. I told Emma's folks that I wanted Jenni and her friend to eat a little first b/c we just had just got to the pizza joint and I knew they wouldn't be able to eat at the hospital. Jenni literally could not eat... se kept telling us how worried she was and wanted to go right away.

Until I grabbed her a brownie to eat on the way... she managed to eat that just fine!!!

This was our first trip to the ER at Lancaster General, and hopefully our last!

They have cute pediatric rooms thought!!

Then, we started tallying up all the times Jaylee's needed a Dr since she was born... she's had TERRIBLE croup and asthma issues, reocurring ear infections as an infant for over a year, blood work for a GI bug that lasted over a week when we first moved to PA, Pneumonia atleast once, stitches to the bottom lip after falling at Dutch Wonderland, glue to her top lip after Georgia bit her, an ear infection requiring 3 lines of antibiotics this past year, visits to the Ortho Dr b/c she was limping and having her leg go numb all fall, Strep throat for 2 mos straight, and now a broken ulna and radius bone!!!!

Good Golly!!!

We were afraid they might have to sedate her in some way b/c it felt so bad, so we wouldn't let her eat. She was relieved when the Dr told her they wouldn't set the bones until Monday so she could have some cookies!!

By the goofiness, you'd think she already received her codeine... NOPE!!! When she is around her Daddy, she can laugh about any situation we are in and just enjoy herself. Jason is truely remarkable with the girls. She's acutally waiting for her pain meds in this pic b/c the pain was getting worse after they put the "fake splint" on her.

After Jaylee received her Tylenol with Codeine, we told her that it would make her sleepy and that we would help her get to bed as soon as we got home. Then we paked up our stuff and headed out the door... Jennibelle grabbed onto Jaylee and asked "Are you tired yet?" (Literally 10 secs after taking the med). Then we took 10 steps down the hall and she stopped and asked again. Then 1 minute later as we were walking out the hospital doors, Jenni asked again. Then as we approached the car, she asked again. Then as we drove out of the parking lot, she asked again. She was VERY CONCERNED!!!!!

Daddy Daughter Dance

Jason's first Daddy Daughter Dance

With Jaylee

Fri, March 19, 2010

7pm-9pm

Overlook Park Barn

Lancaster, PA

Jason came home from work ready for the dance...

shirt, pants, tie... check, check, check.

Jaylee learned to begin getting ready an hour before she had to leave.

To look as beautiful as she did, you have to...

1. Have Meg curl your hair.

2. Have Meg put your hair up and spray it in place.
3. Have Meg add just a touch of makeup.
4. Have Meg help you get into the dress, sweater, socks and shoes
that she bought for you for the night.

5. Gleam over the corsage "Daddy bought" for you

and show it to everyone as they show up to the house.

6. Help Daddy figure out how to put it on you.

7. Let Mama take LOTS of pix.

And smile for the entire Liounis clan that comes to see you off!

********************
She had beautiful "diamond" flowers in her hair.

Anyone who know Jaylee, knows that she HATED picture time.

I tried to make it quick and painless,

BUT...

after these gorgeous shots...

... she became pretty annoyed!!!

She got sick of hearing "Jaylee don't do that!" "Don't swing right now!" "Don't sit on the ground!" "Don't..." and was ready to go!!

Really, can you blame her?!?

Jennibelle was truely excited for her big sister and wanted her to have the best time!!

Jenni and I got to have a Mommy Daughter Party!

Here's a few shots of the Barn that Jason took for my curious little mind.

Jenni said to me today "When Adrian and me get married and have a girl, he will take her to a Daddy Daughter Dance and then me and our baby boy will peak in the window at them dancing!!" Well, she was obviously telling me that she wanted to drive to the park and peek in on them... Right?!? Apparently, NO... she wanted to just stay home and have our party!

I really appreciate Jason snapping a few shots for me!!

They said there were about 25 "couples" there. The girls were in grades 1-8.

Jason and Jaylee were the first "couple" to get out on the dance floor after the 2nd or 3rd song, but then everyone from their table joined them and so on. Jason said by 7:15, Jaylee had lost all inhibitions and was a dancing fool!!!

Jason and Jaylee requested The Hamster Dance and Tonight's Gonna Be a Good Night by the Black Eyed Peas.

Then there was a chance for just the girls to do some line dancing...

She looks like an Angel in all her glory having the time of her life!

They also danced to the Macarana, The Limbo, & more.

They called on their way home and Jaylee was rattling off details about the night. Then she gave me the most appreciated, SINCERE Thank you that I have ever heard!!!!!

And yes, I started to cry right then and there... I wish I could explain in text how HAPPY, EXCITED, THANKFUL & JOYFUL she was on the phone. And Jason is lucky enough to have witnessed it... he said it was "Awesome" to see her like that!!! He said it was some of the best 2 hours of his life!! He also said that at the end she asked him if he had fun and when he expressed how much fun he had, she smiled and hugged him tight!!

She was tired and her hair was completely undone by the time she got home!

Love you my beautiful big girl!!!!!!!!!!

R2D2

R2D2

So, Jaylee's teacher said something to the effect of "Since we read a book about robots this week, if you want, you can make a robot out of stuff at your house, and bring it in Monday."

VOILA!!

Jaylee withh R2D2.

The cool part is that she came up with ideas herself, as well as gathering the items. Jason decided to add an old mother board onto the back for aesthetics, but the rest was pretty much all Jaylee. She taped a walkie talkie to the inside so that the robot could "talk". Jason had to drive her to school today and he said you should have seen the pride on her face when she walked it through the halls... I can only image!!!

Proud parents...

Close up.

Flashlight for "eye" Collinder for head. Trashcan for body. Flexible lighter for "scanner". PVC for arms/legs, Calulator and Mother board for accessories, Walkie Talkie for voice, BCP holders for exhaust fans.

Pretty darn impressive!!!

Jaylee "Fixing" him.
Rear view

We did not have a working drill, so Jaylee had to borrow Poppop's. I think he enjoyed helping as well. I know she liked getting to use the drill!!