A day in the life of a five-year old superhero

I thought it might be interesting for everyone to see life through the eyes of our resident middle child and only son, Foster. From here on out, he will be narrating this post.


My mom has been telling me for days that I need ed to get a haircut, so I took matters into my own hands. Imagine my chagrin and surprise when, after pulling me out from underneath the table with the scissors firmly grasped in my hand, they were not thrilled with the results. I thought I would be saving them time and effort, but all dad said, while trying not to laugh, was :it's gonna be the #1. Mom just kept telling Maya atta girl for running away from me.
This is me after Dad got through with me. See the cool leter "C" on my forehead? It stands for "Cool Kid." How did I get that? Well, that's a mystery. The lady at the Dr.'s office asked what happened when we were there for Ella's 9 month check-up, and I looked at my mom and asked her: "What was I supposed to tell her, again?" For some reason, that made Mommy really nervous.
After we got home from the Dr.'s, I wanted to go swimming. My mom made me really mad and said I had to play in the baby pool because she had to take care of Ella and couldn't go in the big one with me. I actually think she is just wimpy because the pool is not heated and sometimes the cold makes it kind've hard to breath. Anyway, I showed her and punished her by standing in the baby pool and pouted like a...oh wait.
Well, that about sums up my life. It is a hard one, but someone's got to the the coolest kid in the Loosiana.

Tired and dirty!

This spring, Foster and Maya have set new, all-time records of how much dirt can fit onto one little body.
It feels good to be clean.
Ella got really sleepy while playing in her bouncer. Is this considered abuse?

The Millers "deaux" Mardi Gras

We have successfully weathered our first Mardi Gras season and wanted to share some of the highlights. We went to only two parades and had a great time at both of them. We first went to the parade in a little town called "Youngsville" the Saturday before Fat Tuesday. It was really fun and the kids got A LOT of "trash"! We went home with a shopping bag literally full of beads and plastic coings and little cups. We went to the King's Parade that came through Lafayette on Fat Tuesday and it was a blast! The floats and costumes were amazing and kids got a lot of beads again! To give you idea of how big a deal this parade was, the King had to pay $50,000.00 to be in it. Hmmm, two new, nice cars or three hours of royalty? We only went to the one parade on Tuesday, but there were parades going on all day long. It was a great time!

Maya, Foster, and a friend waiting for the parade to come.

Throw me somethin' Mister!

Jon and Ella all pimped out.

Yum!

Ella is signing!

Ella started signing a couple weeks ago and here is the proof! I worked with her on it, literally, only once. She has been, by far, the easiest of my babies to teach. She thinks it is really funny and giggles while she does it. She currently has "All done" and "More" in her repertoire but we are working on "Please." What a big girl!

Ella signing "All Done."

Me showing her the sign for "More."

Her signing "More."

Flat Stanley geaux's Cajun!

Foster got Flat Stanley in the mail from his cousin Hunter. We decided to take Stanley out for crawfish and Cajun dancin'!

Foster, Stanley, and Maya posing by the very fierce looking alligator outside of the restaurant. Maya is trying to mimic the fierceness.

Foster loves crawfish! This was his second time eating the little "mud bugs", as they are called here. I think he thinks it is fun to dismember his dinner before eating it. Should I be worried about this? This looks like a lot of food, but it is very deceptive. It is a lot of work to peal one and you only get about half a bite.

Flat Stanley being attacked by a mutant crawfish.

Foster, Maya, Ella, and me waiting to take a turn on the dance floor. At a lot of the Cajun restaurants here, they have live music and dancing. Especially right now, as it is Mardi Gras time and also crawfish season.

Foster and Flat Stanley posing with the band. Pretty exciting stuff. I think that Flat Stanley will have quite the story to tell when we get him back to Hunter. Also, as a bonus, he will go back smelling of dead fish.

Coming soon: Flat Stanley goes to a Mardi Gras parade! We'll be sure to have a talk with him about approriate behavior at the parade. No flashing allowed. With any luck, he will get enough beads to take back to the class.

We are enjoying being here and learning about this crazy Cajun culture! It has been very interesting!

Life Lessons

Since moving from Lynden, I have learned many truths. I like to call these truths "life lessons." This posting is my attempt at sharing these "life lessons" with you in hopes that you will b able to learn from my vast experience and, thus, have your life improved.

Life Lesson #1: Babies aren't very good at disguising themselves.

LIfe Lessson #2: All small children, and even some adults, love large, dead, stuffed animals.

Life Lesson #3: Never, never, never tell children that they may turn on the jets in Grandma Foster's tub and then blow dry your hair and put on your makeup and neglect to glance over at said "children." This never turns out well.

Life Lesson #4: Do not trust bored husband with camera. He will not take the world's next "best photo," but will use the camera as his vehicle to rekindle his love of making silly faces when told to "say cheese."

Lfe Lesson #5: Never allow sweet-looking, freshly fed baby to give you a kiss on your forehead. You will not like the results. (Why couldn't she have done it on herself? I was at least showered and dressed for the day while she, obviously, was not.)

The Bouncer

Here is Ella looking sweet and cute.

And here is Ella looking sweet, and cute, and happy...And why is Ella looking happy?...

She's in her bouncer! Ella lovesto be in her bouncer and she loves to work those leg muscles. (She loves her giant flower-hat too, don't you think?)