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Stories
3/16/10 -- Ah, the mind of a five-year-old. Here is the conversation I had with Grace yesterday on our way home from preschool...
M: How does chicken noodle soup sound for lunch today?
G: I don't eat chicken noodle soup. I'm a vegetarian.
M: (This was news to me.) Oh really, what does it mean to be a vegetarian?
G: It means I don't eat chicken.
M: So where did you learn about vegetarians?
G: From iCarly, of course.
(For those of you who don't know, this is a show on Nickelodeon, probably too grown-up for her, but she likes it for some reason.)
M: Okay then, so what do you want for lunch?
G: How about chicken salad?
 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 
Comments
I lovvehow she is always thinking. She is 5 going on 16.
- Grandpa Kevin
Sorry didn't spellcheck.
- Grandpa Kevin
16 is her favorite age. Has she ever told you that? And don't worry, this site doesn't require perfect spelling!
- Ehrin
This story is so funny and cute, Eric and I were laughing so hard. We could just picture her saying that!
- Rashelle - NEW!
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2/25/10 -- Oh spring, I think we need you! Please come soon! We've been sick. And because we've been sick, we've also been crabby. All of us. Last Friday, Chris and I were hungry for Chinese food. I found some coupons, and we decided to eat out, which is a rarity and truly a treat of sorts for our family. Anyway, as we're driving there, Grace begins complaining about her ear hurting. We should have turned around right then. After our dinner, which was somewhat successful, we headed home to the beautiful sound of both our kids pretty much screaming their heads off. Grace was having obvious pain in her ear, and Owen started coughing. Once we got home, Owen was coughing so hard that he was throwing up everything in his stomach and any drink or anything we tried to give him. By this time, it's 8:00, and there isn't an urgent care open so I know we must wait until morning to figure something else out. The night didn't get much better. I ended up sleeping in our bed with both of our kids. So Saturday morning, I'm finally able to find a doctor to see us. (Why does insurance suck? It would have cost us $75 per child for urgent care. And since our regular pediatrician's office isn't open on Saturdays, it was just a real fiasco. Since we always seem to be sick on the weekend, I'm seriously contemplating finding another pediatrician, which is a bummer because I really like the guy we see now.) But I digress, we did get seen, and Grace had an obvious ear infection. Owen's ear was "pink" but not so obvious. We eventually ended up treating both of them, but we're still dealing with cough and runny nose from Owen. I wish they could give medicine for overall nasty attitude. I would give that to both my kids, and maybe even take some myself now and then.
Grandma Therese has been taking Grace to a tap/ballet combo offered by the Noblesville Parks Dept. for the last several weeks. Last night was the final class, and they had a mini-show to perform the two dances they've learned. Owen needed the attitude medicine and wanted to run around and just be overall naughty, which, in turn, frustrated Grace so that she needed a little of the medicine too. (Does anyone have any of this medicine or any ideas or suggestions? I'm not kidding, I'm at my wit's end!) But, the dances were really cute, and Grace did a nice job despite those few (rather minor, truthfully) moments.
Comments
Oh, I love this post! I'm sorry for your sucky situations, but I love the way you wrote about them. When you get ahold of the attitude medicine, we could use a strong dose over here too!
- Corie
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2/16/10 -- Well, if the Colts had won the big game, I probably would have written sooner, but we've had to let time pass to allow the sting to wear off around here. Actually, it wasn't really all THAT tough considering how happy we are for Drew Brees. Chris and I both had limited encounters with him at Purdue, and he truly is a nice guy. Anyway, Grandpa Dave & Grandma Therese and Tony & Erin came to our house for our Super Bowl party, and it was fun despite the loss.
On Saturday, Elli invited Owen to be her friend at her soccer class. Aunt Cari took Grace shopping during this time so we were able to go watch the action. It was pretty comical. Owen saw all of the balls there, and he nearly jumped out of my arms to get to them. During the actual class, I was cracking up because he loved kicking and running and all that, he just wasn't really listening to any of the instructions.
Also, that day, Grace lost her second tooth. We knew it was going to happen soon because the two bottom adult teeth are already coming in behind them. I just took this picture today. She looks kind of sick because she is... She's been coughing and sneezing and sniffling around. I stayed home from church with her on Sunday, and she also missed school yesterday, which is a really big deal for her.
Despite Grace's sickness, we did travel to Aunt Nancy's on Sunday for Valentine's Day. We couldn't miss out on seeing everyone or playing BINGO! Both our kids got into the BINGO action. Grace can actually play pretty well now. Owen, of course, cannot, but he had fun pretending, I guess.
2/6/10 -- Just wanted to share our preparations for the Super Bowl tomorrow. The flag has been up in our living room for awhile now, but today, we were all involved in baking and decorating Colts-themed sugar cookies. Go Colts!!!!!!!!!
 
 
2/5/10 -- This has been an unusual week for us. I spent Tuesday and Wednesday in bed with some kind of stomach bug, and Chris graciously took time off to take care of our kids. I still don't feel great really, and I definitely feel like our household is running two days behind and trying to catch up but at least I'm not stuck in bed. Anyway, on Tuesday morning when I felt the worst, Chris took our kids over to his mom's house so I could have quiet. When they got back, Grace came up to my room and said, "Mommy, I've got some exciting news! I've got a loose tooth!" I think my first thought was that this just wasn't possible. She wasn't OLD enough to have a tooth fall out on it's own, but sure enough, it was most definitely loose. And this morning when she was at school, it came out! Here she is sporting her new gap-toothed grin...
And now, here are a few random thoughts/stories from recently...
--Random thought: It's not wise to get a dog in winter, especially a little tiny one with apparently no bladder who needs to go outside practically every two seconds but who also has no concept of potty training and that it's bad to go inside and that he should be going outside.
--Random story: When we were at Carter's first b-day party, Jared, the spokesman from Subway, was there. Afterwards, we asked Grace if she recognized him, and she said she didn't know who he was. One night, she and I were watching tv when a commercial with him in it came on. I pointed him out to her, and she said, "Oh yeah, I know him. He helped me get m&m's!"
--Random thought: When you have a child who is psychotic about something (ie. football), you should probably NOT allow him to have anything to do with that thing that makes him psychotic right before bedtime.
--Random story: So one night before bedtime, we were watching a replay of a Colts game or something. It wasn't until Owen was running around like a mad man that I realized this probably wasn't a good activity before bedtime. See random thought #2 above.
Comments
Great random thoughts! Why was Jared at the birthday party?! Lily will be super jealous about Grace's missing tooth. She has been obsessed with people losing teeth for months now and can't wait for her own to fall out. :)
I hope you are feeling much better!!
- Corie
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1/27/10 -- Last night, Grace and Owen went into our closet and found some of Daddy's Colts stuff, and then they just had to put it on. Grace has kind of a love-hate relationship with the Colts, but our son is psychotic (and I do blame his daddy). All we hear is "football football" (which really sounds more like "buttball buttball") whenever he sees anything Colts. Whenever he sees Grace with something Colts on, he has to put his stuff on too. Or just whenever he sees his Colts stuff (if I'm doing laundry) he has to put it on. Today, for example, he is dressed in red and black, but he saw his jersey and is now wearing it over his red shirt. The other night, I had to change his clothes due to a leaky diaper. Since it was evening, I was going to put his pajamas on him a little early. The pj's had a football helmet on them, but they weren't Colts. He kept crying and saying "football" until I finally decided to put a Colts onesie on him, and the world was happy again. Chris owns a DVD of the Colts' Super Bowl winning season from a few years ago, and they (Chris and Owen) have been watching it together some. I think this is a big mistake because now if Owen can get his hands on it, we have to watch it. Needless to say, I've put it out of his reach for now. In a way, I think this is all kind of cute and funny. But in another way, I find it a little scary too...
Comments
That poor little boy! I was amazed how he really looked over the sports page on Sunday. Love my grandchildren!
- Grandma Lee Ann
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1/23/10 -- This was a weekend of birthdays. On Saturday, we celebrated our friend Carter's first birthday with him. Carter got lots of great toys, which our kids wouldn't leave alone, and he was fun to watch as he dug into his cake. He's such a happy little boy. We really enjoyed his party.
Sunday was Mom's and my b-day so we celebrated at our house with Mom, Dad, Cari, Greg, and Elli. We had a yummy lunch, played some Euchre while little ones napped, and then watched the Colts win the AFC Championship! It was a great day despite turning a year older!
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HAPPY LATE BIRTHDAY EHRIN!!!! I tried to call your mom and when I called the home phone I got a recording stating that the phone was temporarily disconnected. I tried her cell phone but didn't get her. I figured you were all celebrating - how wonderful and to top it off with a Colts win! I was excited to see Drew Brees/Saints win too! Brad was overjoyed by both!
- Mickey
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1/20/10 -- Last Saturday, we held a surprise 40th anniversary party for Chris's parents. It was a weekend we had looked forward to and planned for for awhile. Greg & Anna and Eric & Rashelle and their families flew in from FL the night before, and on the day of the party, Uncle Lloyd & Aunt Jan took Dave & Therese to the Butler basketball game so we could get into their house to prepare. Long story short, they were very surprised, and the party was a huge success. This is the link to the photographer's website with our pix. http://kinmanphoto.shutterfly.com/clientwork/317 It's always so great being together with everyone. They were all together in FL over Christmas, but since we weren't able to make it down there, it was wonderful to spend the weekend with them. The kids make up like they've never been apart from each other, which is awesome. I don't think we saw Grace except at mealtimes the whole weekend. Dave & Therese will actually celebrate their anniversary on Sunday, the 24th, which also happens to be Mom's and my b-day so it's an extra-special day. But here's an early shout-out to them. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, DAVE & THERESE! WE LOVE YOU!!!
1/15/10 -- 2010 has brought change to the Howe household... in the form of a 2 lb. 6 oz. Morkie (Maltese/Yorkie mix) puppy. Buster is officially ours. He is about 2.5 months old right now and is definitely a puppy as he loves to play and chew. Everyone seems to be adjusting well for the most part. If I'm being honest, I'm probably the one having the most trouble. I've discovered that this is truly like having a newborn around again. Grace adores him and is super good with him. There have been a few times when I worried because he plays rough and bites hard, and she would end up crying because he hurt her. She has bounced back well from those times though, and I've been thankful for that. Owen isn't really all that interested in him unless Buster is sleeping, and then it seems like he (Owen) won't leave him (Buster) alone. (That sentence seemed super confusing. Probably poor grammar.) So, if you've been wondering where I've been and why I haven't written thus far this year, the answer is probably outside with Buster, following Buster around to prevent an accident, etc. When I think of this year so far, it's been good, but it's definitely been centered around our new puppy. Don't let my big talk fool you, I am crazy about him too. I'll just be glad when the potty training is over!
 
12/30/09 -- Today we spent most of the day at Elli's house. Well, I should clarify that the kids did, which left Mommy to do some running around, both alone and with Aunt Cari, which was a great deal of fun! My kids were really into Elli's new toys, and it's pretty cute to watch Elli as she watches them playing with her stuff. She's really very good about sharing, but she just studies things right now. And it just makes you wonder what she is thinking.
You will also notice a certain little puppy in the pictures. We're not really sure what to tell you about him yet. We may be puppy sitting or we may not... TBD. He does not have a name, which we really need to work on regardless. I feel bad calling him "Puppy" all the time. Chris & I like the same names, but Grace does not. Our choices are Reggie (as in Wayne), Louie, or Gus. Grace wants him to be Tom. We really probably should let her name him since he adores her so much, and she is VERY good with him too. Owen doesn't seem to care too much either way. He seems interested in the puppy and swats at him every so often, but that's about the extent of it.
And finally, on visiting the Pictures page, you will see that we did retrieve our camera and have posted lots of pix from our whirlwhind Christmas, as I like to call it. Enjoy!
12/27/09 -- Our whirlwind Christmas came to an end today. And it wouldn't be Christmas without someone getting sick. Chris has been in bed for the better half of the day. He didn't even watch the Colts game so I know he's not feeling well. I'm just hoping and praying that the rest of us can stay healthy. So while I'm still feeling up to it, I'll post about the last few days. There won't be any pix yet though as our camera accidently went home with Cari & Greg today. (Really stupid of us to get the same camera as them!)
On Christmas Eve, we always go to my Mom & Dad's house for Christmas with my mom's side of the family. There is lots of yummy food, and the kids open gifts. The adults bring a "white elephant" gift, which always makes for a fun time. On Christmas morning, we wake up to see what Santa has brought. The number one list item for Grace was something called a pillow pet, and her reaction on seeing it did not disappoint. Owen immediately walked towards Grace's pile, but once he saw his cars, he was pretty much set. Grandpa Dave & Grandma Therese came over for a few hours before heading off to FL, and we exchanged gifts with them. After that, we headed back to Kokomo to my Grandpa Leonard & Grandma Marilyn's house to celebrate with my dad's side of the family. My aunt Myra and her family were here from New Mexico so it was really great to see them, and we also were able to visit with cousins from Michigan that we don't see often. The tradition here is to play "dirty bingo", and it's always a fun time too. After coming home Christmas night, things got interesting. Owen was so out of his element from all the "Christmasing" that Daddy ended up staying awake with him until 12:30! Thankfully, yesterday we were able to mostly just hang out at home, which was really nice. The kids stayed in their pajamas all day. Today, after church, we hosted Christmas with my parents and Aunt Cari, Uncle Greg, & Elli. We are spoiled... By gifts too, of course, but mostly in terms of how blessed we are by the love of our families and, most of all, by the love of our God. Our Christmas season was a wonderful celebration of the birth of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who grew up to die on the cross for our sins so that we may experience the greatest gift of all, eternal life in Heaven with Him!
12/22/09 -- This morning, Grandma Therese brought stuff to make Christmas cookies. We started out with lots of chocolate chip, and then we worked on sugar cookies. Grace was into the whole process, and Owen got into the action at times too. Grace did a great job of decorating the sugar cookies. We realized again that she has definite opinions about things and really is very artistic and creative. It was truly a fun morning! Thanks, Grandma!!
    
12/21/09 -- Last night, we attended Christmas at the (Indianapolis) Zoo with Aunt Cari, Uncle Greg, Elli, Grandma Lee Ann, and Grandpa Kevin. It was chilly, to be sure, but this is something I've always wanted to do and I was glad that we went. We didn't spend a whole lot of time there, but that seems to be a trend with little ones and the zoo. We enjoyed the Oceans exhibit, especially the penguins, and we went to the dolphin show. It was more packed than I expected, and we weren't early but somehow we scored front row seats, which was super cool. After that, we headed over to see the bear and the tiger, and we were pretty much ready to go after that. The kids were so good, and I know for sure that Grace had fun. I think Owen and Elli did too, but since they can't speak for themselves, we may never know. And anyways, if we asked them, they would probably just say, "NO!" being that it's the word of choice for both of them right now.
After we got home, Grace begged to do the gingerbread house we'd just bought, and Daddy gave in. We decided to put Owen in bed first being that he would probably just eat all of the decor for the house. Daddy works as the icing man, and Grace is the decorator. They make a great team, and it's an enjoyable project. (Tip for any of you that might be interested. You can score the kit for only $5 at Walmart if you wait until closer to Christmas.)
Comments
Great job, Grace! (and Chris)
- Audra
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12/18/09 -- Wednesday night was Grace's preschool Christmas program. Unlike last year, there was no excitement with lack of electricity and icy roads. But as always, Grace did a wonderful job, and we really enjoyed the program. She truly loves to sing. After the actual program, we went downstairs for the punch and cookies. There I got another great report about how nice Grace is to all of the kids. Apparently, at times, there are even kids fighting over her, wanting to sit next to her, etc. to the point that there have been little girls in tears! I even had two mothers come up to me and tell me that their children talk about her at home all of the time! It's so nice to get these kinds of reports because, as I've said before, I'm quite sure that we don't always see the best of Grace when she's with us. Here is a pic of Grace with her grandparents, and there are lots more on the Pictures page.
12/15/09 -- A few funny stories from recently that I want to write down and remember. You're welcome to enjoy them too...
One of the first nights that I sang Christmas songs to Owen at bedtime, I was really belting it out. My grand finale was O Holy Night, probably one of my favorites. After I finished, Owen, without taking his fingers out of his mouth, used his other hand to clap on my arm. I was really glad (and actually a little embarrassed) that my singing was so appreciated and well-received!
Both of our kids are really enjoying Christmas lights this season. A few of our neighbors and one in particular have beautiful displays. One night, Chris and the kids were looking across the street (which isn't easy since we have the tiniest little porthole window in front) when Grace told her daddy, "I'm SO embarrassed that we don't have lights!"
Another night, Grace was driving with Grandpa Kevin back to our house. They were, of course, looking at the lights in our neighborhood when Grace stated, "I don't know why I'm so psychotic about Christmas lights!" (I hope I did that one justice. I know it went something litke that. And unfortunately, her choice of words probably does come from me.)
Last Saturday, we were out running errands when we decided to head up 37 from Noblesville to Fishers to the Reynolds John Deere place that does a big display. We've seen it before from the road but never visited so we weren't sure what we were in for. After sitting through numerous lights to try to make our left turn, everyone was getting a little testy. I was ready to drive away, Grace was saying it was the worst day of her life, and poor Chris was just trying not to block trafffic! Owen won the prize for best spirits, but I don't know if it really counts since he just sucks his fingers. Anyway, we finally made it up to and through the display, and it was well worh it. All of our attitudes changed, and we were thankful that we went. We're a family who loves Christmas lights. We just don't take the time to do our own. Maybe someday...
Comments
I love it!! These stories made me laugh out loud! Your kids are so cute!
- Kelly
we haven't been to check out that light display yet this year but we went last year. It's really amazing! I love that Grace was saying it was the worst day of her life. That's the kind of dramatic statement we hear all the time at our house!
By the way, your Christmas card is super cute! :)
- Corie
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12/8/09 -- This last Saturday, Grandpa Dave & Grandma Therese took us to Breakfast with Santa at Oak Hill Mansion in Carmel. We really thought that we would be 0 for 2 on our Santa Claus attempts this year, but Grace actually did sit on his lap and talk with him. Owen, as expected, cried and clung to Chris. We think it helped Grace that Santa was quite the entertainer. He sang songs, told jokes, and gave a wonderful rendition of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. So, Grace is now 2 for 6 on sitting on Santa's lap, and Owen is 1 for 2.
 
Also, on Saturday, we made a batch of my mom's cheddar chowder, and we were eating it for lunch after church on Sunday. I guess Owen liked it so much that he was putting the bowl up to his face. As if that wasn't bad enough, he took off his bib, which he is known to do, but instead of throwing it on the ground, like he is also known to do, he put it on his head. It just so happened that the flap that is supposed to catch the food sat perfectly around his golden little dome, and the picture following shows the results. Needless to say, bath was required immediately after lunch.
On Sunday evening, we had what is known as "Jo Jo's Christmas". This is basically the extended Howe family Christmas, and delicious vegetable soup is served. It was a great evening of yummy food and fellowship, and I thnk we got a taste of how fun this Christmas is going to be. Grace was super excited about her gifts, including money, after which she immediately began askting to go shopping. Owen didn't really understand the money and was trying to give it away (silly boy!), but he was super excited about his fire truck toy and was actually shaking as he got the paper off of it. He loved it so much that he had to sleep with it that night.
Comments
that's great! What a wonderful Santa opportunity! And I thought we had a good one. Your pictures are adorable, as always! You're so good about posting pics along with your stories. :)
- Corie
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11/30/09 -- On Saturday, we completed one Christmas tradition a little early. Since Chris's brothers and their families are now both in FL, the decision was made to do our annual fondue with Grandpa Dave & Grandma Therese. It did not disappoint! Grace was really into it for probably the first time, and Owen enjoyed sitting at the table too. He really didn't eat that great until the dessert course, but Grace tried all of the different meats. And this year, we had lots -- to the traditional beef and chicken, we added shrimp, tuna, swordfish, scallops, and pork. The food was delicious, and when topped off with chocolate fondue, it made for a perfect evening. Visit the Pictures page for lots more fun pix.
 
11/28/09 -- We put up our Christmas tree on Wednesday night. We usually do this on Thanksgiving night, but since Chris (my WONDERFUL hubby) took Wednesday off to go shopping with me and since we knew we would be getting home pretty late on Thursday, we decided to get things going one night early. By the end of it, I was stressed out, Owen was mad because we wouldn't let him get into anything, and Grace was just putting things everywhere even if they weren't hers. I realized that my sense of organization in decorating the tree is going to have to be thrown out the window for the next several years. Overall, it was a fun time, and it's definitely worth it because both kids love the tree.
On Thursday, we ate two meals. The first was at my Aunt Jodi's house, and then we headed to Chris's Aunt Jerri's for our second feast. We took no pictures, but we enjoyed much good food and family time.
11/14/09 -- I feel like my kids are super fun lately. Don't get me wrong, they also have their scary moments. I've been motivated to write about what they are currently into lately so here goes...
Grace is into...
--Watching movies and eating popcorn. Typically one cannot take place without the other.
-- Reading stories before bedtime & trying to read on her own. She actually does pretty well with The Cat in the Hat, which is an old stand-by in the Mast household. I think Dad, Cari, and I have most of it memorized.
--Singing. She has a very pretty voice for a five-year-old.
-- Charlie Brown. My good friend, Audra, took Grace and I to see a couple of our church's youth in a Christian Youth Theater production of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, and it's been a topic of conversation (and even prayer last night) ever since.
-- Speaking of that, praying. She usually says the prayer at all our meals and even volunteers to say it when we're at a get-together of any kind.
Owen is into...
--Saying "no" and "ow". Ow, in particular, comes often even if he isn't actually hurt. No is heard pretty frequently too.
--Books. Loves looking at them now but also seems to enjoy ripping them unfortunately. I'm thrilled that he's finally into books, and I adore the way he backs up to you so you'll pick him up and look at the book with him.
--Trains and cars and trucks and tractors. He's really into pushing things around, which we just love. It's such a "boy" thing to do.
--Wearing other peoples' shoes. I think Elli started him on this one, but he likes to put on anyone's shoes that are laying around and walk around in them. He then pretends to leave, and we always have to say, "Bye, see ya." From time to time, he also wants Grace's backpack or someone else's jacket.
--Going outside. He darts out the door at any chance he gets.
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