Rainbow Rice Update

Considering the amount of rice we are STILL finding..it has now officially become an outdoor activity...

Rainbow Rice

Thank you pinterest for the idea and my friend Cheryl for the motivation to actually DO it.
Yes, the boys loved it! Ben in particular spent hours (hours!) in the bucket of rice.

I used an 8 kg bag of white rice, 4 ziplock bags, food colouring and vinegar (instead of rubbing alcohol to help the colour set) Ben and I took about 3 cups of rice and 8-10 drops of food colouring with 1 tablespoon of white vinegar and mixed it together in a ziplock bag. We did this for 5 different colours and then spread the rice out on baking sheets. baking the rice at 175 degrees for about 15 minutes helps it dry quicker, it took 3 batches to get it all done. I poured the rest of the white rice into the bin as well.

It was a hit! Well worth the mess...

Jacob's Kryptonite

Jacob is our fearless child.
We have two nicknames for him- the Honey Badger (an animal notorious for being deceivingly cute and innocent looking but ruthless and scared of nothing. He will chew the head of a snake, pass out from the venom, wake up and finish the rest of him...that sums up Jacob). The other name is the "Savage" as in the Ninny and the Savage...the ninny is his nervous, hand ringing, lip chewing big brother who has always been very calculating, safe, low risk, concerned with bodily harm and terrified of his little brothers haphazardness to the point of having nightmares about Jacob's latest escapade.

Until our new addition...

DUH DUH DUHHHHHHHHH.....!!!!!


Yes, that is correct we got a new (to us...refurbished for an awesome price actually) Dyson vacuum for our new house (no central vacuum there so we needed to buy one). From the moment I first turned it on he FREAKED OUT! hysterical crying, shaking, sobbing, clutching my legs and simultaneously trying to run away from the (admittedly much louder) machine.
Now I have to vacuum only when he is napping or someone can hold him at a safe distance (where he will still cry and shriek the closer it gets to him). We keep it i nthe hall closet and EVERY time he goes to get his boots he jumps as soon as he sees it, runs up the stairs with his hands over his ears and whimpers "noooo".

It is pathetic...but I am somewhat reassured that there is some fear in there.

This particular picture happened because Jon only MENTIONED needing to vacuum (again because there was still hidden rice from the popular rainbow rice).

My Big Babies

Ben and Jake are a little, understandably preoccupied with babies. Jacob has always loved babies and adores when Ben will play "Baby Jacob" with him. Ben covers him up with a blanket, gives him a bottle and a soother and pats his head, calling him "baby"...Jacob is thrilled. NOW Jacob wants Ben to alternate who is the baby so they went back and forth being babies for the morning. I had to laugh when Jacob tried to hold "baby Ben" on his little lap. They are going to be wonderful big brothers, this little lady is a lucky one!

Two for Two

Aren't my boys pathetic when they are sick? By mid morning Ben was fevered and crying (he melts at everything when he is sick, he HATES having anything wrong with him...a hangnail will top a days conversation should one dare arise on a finger...so anything more than that qualifies total catastrophe). Tomorrow I fear my lap might now be big enough for the "3" of them...

Jakey

Poor Jake. This boy is a whirlwind of non stop energy. He plays hard and then he sleeps hard. He stops only to eat...which he also does with great gusto.

Then my Jakey moped around for a day...he laid on the carpet...then he asked for his "bobble" to go to bed early...then he woke up hot, oozing, coughing, and sucky. Jake was sick! this is unheard of! Once he got a weird rash...and other than that I can't think of a time when Jake has been truly out of commission.

20 minutes after Jon got him out of bed he was asleep again on the couch...with untouched breakfast beside him! This alone should have caused a 911 call I am sure...we opted for the clinic instead. He promptly told the nurse his ear "owie owie" and sure enough on top of a nasty virus he also has an ear infection. He laid on my lap for an hour in the waiting room and everyone over the age of 30 who came in looked at him and said "poor little dear" to which he looked up with his heavy head in his croaky- full- of -pacifier -mouth "yaaaa" and then sadly put his head back down.

Ohhhh I really don't like when my kids are sick, especially the super pathetic extra sick kind of sick...the too sick to be cranky and are just sad and sucky sick.

This kid is getting his fair share of all the "bobbles" he can drink, vitamin D, Vitamin C and some nasty banana antibiotics (followed with a healthy dose of probiotics when they are gone)but other then that all I can do is just hold him and say "poor little dear".
He likes that.

***He looks so big on the couch doesn't he?! but he isn't...he can still curl up in a little ball on my lap...

Like Father, Like Son

These boys of mine, they sure have a thing for anything with buttons. Even Jacob knows how to play games on the Ipad...or the iphone...or anything he can get his gadget inclined hands on!