A week in the Mark Zone, March 2-8, 2008

Does anyone know what this is? Mark found these somewhere in the house on Saturday, of course he can't recall where it was he found them, (he was found trying to stick them in the dirt of a plant) and no one in my house will claim, accept, or acknowledge responsibility for these little bottles of something that is apparently a "treatment." One is empty and one is full. So we are putting it out for discussion. The open one still had a little liquid in in but there was no smell, and the liquid appeared to contain some type of oil.

UPDATE: Brian has confirmed the bottles are a New Skin facial treatment.

New Rules for Mark this week:

1. No liquid of any form outside the kitchen. (Mark took a glass of water up to his bedroom, and dumped it on the floor. Then he took a red scripture pencil and drew on the wet carpet, leaving lovely red stain on his cream colored carpet. Oxy Clean to the rescue.)

2. No bringing play ground bark inside. (Mark thought his Thomas the Tank Engine table needed some additional landscaping, along with the carpet surrounding the table. Dyson vacuum to the rescue.)

Most irrational temper tantrum of the week:

On Saturday morning Rick made pancakes. Mark asked to have chocolate chips in his pancakes and Rick agreed, however when Mark saw the chocolate chips that Rick was putting in he started pitching a fit, and threw himself on the floor in a fit of rage, because he wanted a different color of chocolate chips. I asked Rick if he wanted white chocolate chips and Rick said "no" he just wanted a different color of brown for his chocolate chips.

Things Mark has broken/damaged/dirtied this week:

1. Mark had an "accident" (of course after I had done the laundry) and left a wet spot on the stairs. Again Oxy Clean to the rescue.

2. Mark pulled the portable DVD player off the treadmill. It still has power but I have not been brave enough yet to try a DVD to see if it still works.

3. Mark took sidewalk chalk and drew all over his Crocks (clogs) when he was supposed to be drawing pictures on the sidewalk. Water to the rescue.


Things Mark excelled at this week:

1. Mark said the dinner prayer all on his own 4 times.

2. Mark said his bedtime prayers all on his own once.

3. Mark helped me do two loads of laundry. (He likes to put the dirty clothes in the washing machine and pour the soap in.)

4. Mark picked up the apple bits he spit out while consuming an apple. (This I guess could also fall under the broken/damages/dirtied category, however this was the first time I actually got him to clean up his apple debris. Another day, another time I will explain how Mark eats an apple.)

Of jump ropes and skinned knees.

One of Lauren's new favorite things to do is jump rope. However a side effect of jumping rope is skinned knees. Lauren takes her jump rope to school, as do her friends with their jump ropes, and when its recess, they all get their jump ropes out of their back packs and go outside to have jumping contests. Lauren's record is 91 jumps without missing. Rick and I think it is great exercise. The only problem is that recess is not long enough and Lauren feels the need to jump rope at home in the family room. This in conjunction with her brother's diving off the couch makes it sound like we live with a herd of elephants, especially to those down stairs. Last week I told Mark to go down stairs and apologize to Grandma and Grandpa and tell them that he was sorry they lived with a herd of elephants. Instead of issuing a apology Mark said "You live with a herd of elephants." Oddly enough Grandma and Grandpa did not disagree.

Open mouth, insert foot.

Nuff said.

NO= adv., adj., n., pl., v., A negative used to express dissent, denial or refusal as in a response to a question.

They say the "two's" are terrible, but what they don't warn you about in all those baby/child books every parent feels the obligation to buy, is that the three's are tormenting, as in the three year old torments his/her parents with a barage of ways to say the word "no" Here are some of Mark's favorite ways to say no. Next time your boss or spouse makes a suggestion you don't agree with simply pick a new and fun way to say no, and for added effect lay on the ground, kick your legs, yell it at the top of your lungs, and make your face red.

1. NO

2. I don't want to.

3. I can't.

4. I want to not.

5. I don't liiiike it.

6. NO, NO, NO

7. I want ___________, (fill in the blank with the opposite of whatever was suggested)

8. I don't need to.

9. No, don't.

10.Don't stop it

Sisters Forever.

The only person Katie likes as much as mommy is Lauren. Katie looks at Lauren with wonder and awe, wanting so much to be like her older sister. Katie lights up when Lauren walks into the room and laughs hysterically at anything Lauren does. Lauren is a wonderful big sister and is really good at entertaining Katie when mommy needs to get something done. Lauren absolutely adores being a big sister to Katie and wants to teach Katie everything she knows. I know this mutual adoration will not last forever but I am going to enjoy it and take advantage of it as long as I can!

Is it really wise to send three year olds to Primary?

On January 5, 2008 by virtue of the fact he was three, Mark got to advance from nursery to Primary. No doubt that he was clearly too old to remain in nursery bulling unsuspecting 18 month old children, (which by the way he was, in case you missed the memo, all trucks, trains, cars and blocks in the nursery belonged to Mark and he had exclusive rights to play with them) so the Primary invited him to attend the Sunbeam class. Mark was very excited to go to Sunbeams, because he understood that big kids go to Primary and babies go to nursery, however I am not quite sure that Sunbeams and the Primary are ready for Mark. Here is a random sampling of the things Mark has said in Primary.

January 27, 2008, In sharing time Mark announced "I have stinky breath"

February 3, 2008, Mark was asked if he could be reverent and use his church voice, to which Mark replied in his very loud, deep voice "I am using my church voice." Mark has one volume and that is loud. The joke in our ward is that it does not matter where you sit in the chapel you will be able to hear Mark Vincent.

February 10, 2008, The Bishop was in Primary thanking the primary children for the Valentines the children sent the Bishop when Mark stood up and told the Bishop "You can come sleep at my house."

March 2, 2008, As Mark walked into Primary he announced "I brought myself to Primary today." Then I went into Primary because Lauren was being spotlighted. Lauren was standing upfront wearing a CTR crown and Mark stood up and said "Lauren you don't need to wear that stupid crown" and repeated it two more times.

Mark believes that Primary is an interactive sport. He functions under the belief that anyone who is upfront is directly focused on him and talking to him. He believes that he should answer every question, have a comment on everything, and should always be picked to help. Fortunately the Primary presidency is very understanding, and has not yet asked that Mark be removed from Primary. The first counselor is a good friend of mine and every week she provides me an update of what Mark has said or done that day in Primary. She thinks he is hysterical and looks forward to being in Primary every week just to see what random thing Mark is going to say or do.

Mark by the Numbers

A week in the life of Mark:
7 Number of Thomas trains Mark received for going poopy in the potty. (one a day is the limit)
2 Number of times Mark peeed on the carpet and mommy had to clean it up.
14 Number of times mommy swept the kitchen after Mark ate at the bar
3 Number of times mommy had to vacuum the rug under the kitchen table after Mark ate. (Actually I could have vacuumed it everytime after Mark ate).
6 Number of times mommy had to clean up some sort of liquid Mark spilled on the floor.
2 Number of times Mark gagged on a piece of plastic from a old candy cane he was eating, which resulted in an unmentionable substance on the kitchen floor mommy had to clean up.
23 Number of wipes used by mommy this week to clean Mark up after eating.
19 Number of wipes Mark tried to flush down the toilet after attempting to wipe himself, which of course resulted in a clogged toilet.
21 Number of hours Mark spent playing with his Thomas trains.
5 Number of times Mark watched Thomas' Halloween Adventure.
4 Number of arguments Mark had with Lauren, which resulted in one or both of them being separated from the group.
8 Number of times Mark asked, very loudly I might add, "Is Church over?" during Sacrament meeting.
Countless: Number of hugs, kisses and loves Mark gave his mommy this week.

Katie on the Move

Katie has the desire to crawl but is lacking in skill. This does not stop her from moving all over the house. Today I set her on the kitchen floor, (no more counter time for her, she likes to dive head first off the counter, the couch, the bed, her car seat, basically anything with height), and before I knew it she scooted herself over to the dishwasher and began pulling out dirty forks, knives and spoons, and promptly sucking on them. Changing her diaper is now officially a contact sport. What she really likes is after 9:00 p.m. when Mark and Lauren are in bed she gets to sit on the floor of the office and play with Mark's trains, something she can not do when he is awake. She has her two bottom teeth, but she does not care much for food. She will eat oatmeal cereal, (she got tired of rice and refused to eat it any longer), she will eat fruits, but no vegatables. She is not doing well with solid foods. If anything solid goes in her mouth, (things we have tried include, mashed potatoes, graham cracker, cheerios, ice cream) she promptly gags, and the said item comes out along with the contents of her stomach. Its delightful.

Mark, our never ending souce of entertainment.

Here is Mark and this is typically how he looks. We call him an accident looking for a place to happen. Yesterday I swept the kitchen floor four times in an effort to keep on top of his messes. Lately he has a comment for everything.

Last week Rick and I were driving around after doing some erands. Lauren was at school so it was just Mark and Katie with us. Rick and I were talking about the presidential race and Mitt Romney dropping out. I told Rick that I had not listend to any talk radio in the last few days so I did not know what the political pundants were saying. I said that I was curious what they were saying because the political pundants did not like McCain or Huckabee. Mark piped up from the back saying "They don't like McCain or Huckabee?" I said "Yes Mark they do not like McCain or Huckabee." He said again "They don't like McCain or Huckabee?" I said "No they don't." He then said "What about John Edwards?" Rick and I were dumbfounded. We had not been talking about John Edwards at all. Clearly this kid is watching too much television coverage of the election.

On Lauren's birthday Brian and Courtney were sucking helium out of a balloon. After they started talking Mark told them they sounded like Cindi Lauper. How this kid knows that Cindi Lauper's singing sounds like somebody who has been sucking helium is beyond me. Rick and I are very concerned about what life with him will be like when he is a teenager.

Lauren's Birthday

After Lauren's party with her friends, our family went out to dinner at California Pizza kitchen, which was the resturant that Lauren and Grandma decided on, since it was Grandma's birthday too. We came home after dinner and opened presents. Lauren wanted a "Webkinz" which is a stuffed animal that you bring to life on the Webkinz website. Lauren got a Webkinz kitty, and played on the internet until midnight.
Lauren with her Webkinz kitty.
Lauren opening a tent for her collection of American Girl dolls. Lauren also got several Littlest pet shop toys which is one of her new favorite toys.
Katie liked Lauren's birthday because wrapping paper and empty boxes were involved. Katie really wants to crawl but has not managed to figure it out yet. She gets up on all "fours" and when she realizes that she is up on all fours she immediately drops to the ground. She rolls all over the house and likes to explore new areas, but she never wants to be far from all the action, and if mommy walks by without picking her up, screaming ensues.

Lauren Has a Birthday Party

Lauren turned seven on February 15, 2008. In case you did not know it was a national holiday, just ask her she will tell you. It was a big day for her and for her mother. Lauren had to do a family presentation at school which involved bringing the entire family to school, introducing us, telling her class about our occupations, telling about a family vacation, with pictures of course, reading Lauren's favorite story, and of course passing out treats.

After school was over Lauren had a birthday party with her friends and her cousin Addy. The girls decorated bags with foam stickers, played "uno attack," opened presents, ate cake and had a treasure hunt. A good time was had by all! Lauren gets to have a party with friends every other year. The last party she had was when she turned five and I have to tell you a birthday party for seven year olds is soooo much better than a birthday party for five year olds. Their attention span is a lot longer and they play together better.

Katie Loves her Bath!

Katie loves taking a bath! Our sink is big and deep so it is the perfect size for my 22 pound baby, or a frozen turkey. She sits in the sink and splashes to her hearts content, while I clean my kitchen. Its productive time for both of us. She also likes to play with toys in the bath. She has a green plastic frog that she likes to stick in her mouth. She keeps hoping that it will turn into a hansome prince, but no such luck yet. For now she will continue to make out with her frog.

Lauren Lost her Front Tooth!

Lauren lost her front top tooth! She also lost another one on the bottom, bringing her total lost teeth to three. When her teeth get loose she lets mommy pull them. I have pulled all three, and I am getting really good and fast. Perhaps I missed my true calling in life?

Don't we look Cute!

Katie & Lauren got matching outfits for Christmas. They wore them to Church and got lots of attention, and looked really cute! When I was taking a picture of the two of them together, Mark had to join in, he does not want to be left out of anything.

New Years Eve

We had a "rockin" new years eve. We celebrated on New York City time. Mark and Lauren loved blowing their horns, Katie loved eating hers. The best part for Mark and Lauren was "tosting" to the new year with sparkling apple cider.