happy fodders day

Just a quick note to say how grateful I am to be a father to the three most beautiful little girls in the world:

And how lucky I am to have the greatest Dad in the whole world:

What's cookin'?

We experienced our own little version of Animal Planet when we got to observe this at my in-laws house:

I'm not ashamed to admit that I cried a little when I saw these cute little guys.

Unfortunately, the mother robin chose a rather perilous place to build her nest.

Ana's first haircut

Bekah had her first haircut when she was 16 months old because she was born with a LOT of hair. Ana, on the other hand, had only dark fuzz on top of her head when she made her debut, so she got to wait until she turned 3 to have her locks trimmed for the first time.

Her hair wasn't unnecessarily long, but it was looking a little shaggy, so I took 1-2 inches off the ends to even things up a bit. I even let her choose if she wanted to have me cut it or have it done at a salon, but she opted for the home cut. (Although, once I got the scissors, it was, "I don't want a haircut!" Nevertheless, I prevailed.)

BEFORE

AFTER

Ana's apparent feelings for her haircut.

Rebekah is 5!

We usually keep birthdays pretty low-key around here, but after Bekah had been to birthday celebrations for two of her cousins, she thought she needed more people to help her celebrate her special day. As per her request, we invited the Papworth cousins and the Grover cousins.

A lot of preparation went into this party. Not only did Bekah pick out a cake for me to make, but she also helped me make a piñata, and she made a Pin the Tail on the Donkey game all by herself. Then, when everyone arrived, the fun began!

Ana putting on her tail. She wouldn't participate until I told her she wouldn't have to use the blindfold.

Bekah having a try at the piñata while Seth tries to make the piñata more elusive.

Bekah blowing out the candles on her ice cream cone cake. Grandma Susan gave her that "5" candle months ago ... and Bekah eagerly awaited the time when she could put it to use.

Bekah unwrapping presents while everyone else watches.

Mack, Bekah, Calvin and Tav on the trampoline after the official birthday festivities were over.

To see lots more images, click here.

First bottle

Last night Seth and I went on our first post-Miriam, Miriam-less date. Since she would have to take a bottle while we enjoyed our dinner and a movie and she had never had a bottle before, we decided to have a dress rehearsal for Miri the night prior. The big girls took turns feeding their little sister.

First, Rebekah took a turn. She did a good job. So did Miri.

Then Analee tried it out.

P.S. Thanks, Mom and Dad, for the dinner and movie tickets. And thanks, Jessica, for watching the girls while we enjoyed Bajio and Iron Man 2.

Baby stats

Bekah was a petite baby. We knew that at the time, but now that we've had two more come along to compare her to, it's even more apparent.

Miriam is the opposite. She's quite a big 'un. Today I took her in for her two-month checkup. Here are her stats:

MIRIAM
Weight: 11 pounds, 15 ounces (65th percentile)
Height: 24 inches (90th percentile)

Compare those to the other girls' two-month stats:

ANALEE
Weight: 11 pounds, 5 ounces (50th percentile)
Height: 22.5 inches (60th percentile)

REBEKAH
Weight: 8 pounds, 10 ounces (10th percentile)
Height: 22 inches (50th percentile)

Another amazing difference is that, although Rebekah and Analee's head circumferences have never fit on a chart (those girls just have too many brains to fit into a regular-sized head), Miriam's seems to be normal. The doctor told us it's about in the 80th percentile. What?! Our child's head HAS a percentile? Are you sure she's ours?

Seth and the big 2-8

Yesterday Seth celebrated 28 years of living. And we celebrated with him.

First, Seth jumped on the trampoline with the girls while I finished getting our dinner ready (and took a few pictures).

Analee, Rebekah and Set holding hands and jumping together.

Next we ate our 100 percent barbecued dinner (apples, onions, corn on the cob and sirloin steaks), followed by the great present-unwrapping.

Seth oversees the unwrapping as Bekah and Ana rip off the paper. He received a tractor sprinkler. Yes, it's pretty much the lamest present a spouse can purchase, but Seth let me know only two days before that he didn't want to get his customary birthday present: a 10-punch golf pass. So what else could I come up with on such short notice?

Then we sang "Happy Birthday," and Seth blew out the candle on his ice cream cone. Yes, that's what I said. I didn't make him a cake because (1) Bekah's birthday is six days after Seth's, and I didn't want to make two cakes that close together, and (2) we still have leftover goodies from Miriam's blessing on Sunday that need to be eaten before I go and bake anything else.

You'll notice that the candle is already extinguished even though Seth is still gearing up for the blowing. It was just too darn breezy outside for anything to stay lit.

Then the girls enjoyed their birthday treats.

Bekah enjoys her ice cream. And we enjoy viewing it partially masticated.

Analee licks a drip.

And we finished off the night with baths for the sticky girls and attempted repairs for Seth's truck. Good times!

What every mom dreads

Looking at the title of this post, you might think I'm talking about potty training, stomach-related sickness in the family or your kid's first stitches. We've dealt with all of those in the past, and although none of them are fun, I'm talking about something completely different, yet inevitable if you have children.

Here's the story: Friday morning, I was doing my usual put-on-Dora-for-the-girls-so-I-can-have-a-few-minutes-to-myself-for-hygiene ritual when Ana came into the bathroom during my shower. She sounded upset (which is unusual when Dora is on), and she was coughing, which I thought was odd. But I couldn't hear/understand her over the sound of running water, so I quickly finished up, wrapped a towel around myself and stepped out.

I asked her again, "What's wrong?"

She proceeded to tell me that she had part of her Tinkerbell bracelet (that came with the playset she got for her birthday) up her nose.

Without thinking, I exclaimed, "Ana! We don't put things up our nose!"

A truly repentant Analee replied, "I'm sorry, Mama."

I quickly changed tactics. After all, does a three-year-old with a piece of plastic shoved into her sinus cavity really need a lecture?

I asked her to tilt her head up so I could see it, but without a flashlight, I couldn't. My mind raced. Would we have to go to the doctor? Should I get a light and some tweezers? But what if I hurt her by pushing it up farther?

Then I had a stroke of inspiration. "Which side is it stuck in?" I asked her. She indicated that it was her left. So I used my finger to push her right nostril closed and instructed her to blow.

She did, but all that came out was yellow and slimy and definitely not plastic.

I cleaned her up with some toilet paper and told her, "Blow hard!"

Out popped the half of a clasp that had been lodged in her nose. I heaved a huge sigh of relief.

I've heard countless anecdotes of kids getting various objects stuck up their noses. I figured it was just a matter of time before one of my girls had the same experience (which leads us back to the post's title). The only problem is I don't know how to prevent it from happening again; when I asked Ana how she got her bracelet stuck up her nose, she proclaimed, "I don't know! I just don't know!"

Yeah, right. Now we need to figure out how to prevent compulsive lying. That's another thing every mom dreads.

Gone fishin'

As per extended Grover family tradition, we headed up to Island Park for opening weekend at Henry's Lake. Seth took the "big girls" out three times to the docks to try their hand at landing a big one, but they came up empty-handed. ... Well, at least empty-fishing-poled.

On our last trip out, we decided for a change of scenery from our previous visits to Frome Park, and we headed to Henry's Lake State Park. Several fishermen were lined up on the shore, and they were faring well. But because all the good spots were already taken, Seth and Bekah were exiled to the no-fish zone; they tried and tried and tried, but got nothing.

Ana and I had been walking around the docks (where there were TONS-O-FISH to be seen, but it's against the rules to fish from the docks or between them) when we saw two fishermen who had taken a break from their lines to look at some fish that were trapped in a little triangle formed by the shore, the dock and the boat ramp. Bekah had come over to join us in our observations, and she said she could catch one of those fish with her hands. She lay down on the dock with her hands poised above the water, waiting for a fish to splash up. When it did, she reached down quickly and recoiled when she actually touched the slippery guy. Then she ran off in the direction of Seth, and I thought she was done with the docks.

Instead, Bekah came running back with the net. She lay back down on the dock, and with the help of one of the fishermen, she netted one of the trapped fish. As she hobbled back to Seth with the fish in the net (it was too heavy for her to run with it, she says) she cried out, "I caught one! I ACTUALLY caught one!"

We took a few pictures of her with the fish, but in the end, we let it go because we didn't think it was entirely legal to keep it, and the fish wasn't the best catch.

After we tried switching locations to the other side of the docks, both Seth and Bekah got a few nibbles. But when we left the lake with nothing to show for it except a few pictures, Bekah was very upset and cried.

I guess we can't wait too long before our next fishing trip, because Bekah has fishing fever.

Bekah expressing her excitement in going fishing. Last year, Seth just put a bobber on her Barbie fishing pole. This year, she actually got a hook. With a worm!

Analee reeling in her princess pole. She didn't understand why she couldn't catch a fish with the rubber crown on the end of her line.

Bekah with her fish and her weapon of choice.

Bekah and Seth fishing at Henry's Lake State Park.

Analee running along the dock with a flock of pelicans in the background.