The Patton Family

Week in the Life - Saturday

2012-01-28T20:14:00.000-08:00

Done! Week in the Life - Winter 2012 coming soon. (I am crazy, I know.)

Week in the Life - Friday

2012-01-22T15:49:00.000-08:00

One more day to go!

Week in the Life - Thursday

2012-01-22T12:57:00.000-08:00

I am finally finishing this! Next time around, I am taking no longer than a month to put it together. You forget too much stuff if you don't get it down quickly (I took notes while I was doing it -- but some things, like the ridiculous names of all of Elliot's butterflies weren't in there.)

Oh, And I Failed to Mention

2011-12-22T13:15:00.001-08:00

Harper started walking this week. No, I don't have any documentation. Is she a second child or what?

Santaland

2011-12-21T18:58:00.001-08:00

We took our annual trek to Santaland on Saturday. Eight adults. Eleven kids. We met at 7:40 a.m. (pat on the back for that one!), caught the subway down, waited in line for approximately 10 minutes, snapped a few photos of the kids with creepy Santa (Harper noticed the creepy factor), grabbed breakfast at ABP, went to a puppet show and were back by a 11.

It was a perfect morning.

Watching Rudolph

2011-12-02T13:36:00.001-08:00

They may not look alike, but they are clearly related.

You must live in a 1.5 bedroom in NY

2011-11-10T17:04:00.001-08:00

When your four-year-old prays that "Heavenly Father will make our house bigger."

Of course, yesterday he prayed that he wouldn't have to share his toys, so I can't take him too seriously.

Notes on Harper

2011-10-17T11:49:00.000-07:00

Just a few thoughts about his little lady:

Her hair bears an unfortunate resemblance to Krusty the Clown (particularly when she does her own during-meal styling):

She is a menance. I've said it before. I'll say it again. And it will be true every time I do. She regularly eats dust bunnies. You know, clumps of dust and hair? Yeah. I gagged a little too. And that's not even the worst thing she's put in her mouth. I won't tell you the others because, believe me, you would no longer be her friend.

She does a better job folding her arms for prayer than Elliot. (Note to self: work with Elliot on folding his arms for prayer.)

She says hi, bye, and all done. And I swear she said "here you go" when giving me the remote the other day.

She loves Sesame Street, Elliot, reading Moo, Baa, La La La (over and over and over), and Vanilla Joe Joe's.

She does not like walking (or when we try to encourage her to walk), being sick (my patient patient is long gone. A cold now makes this girl CRABBY), diaper changes, and when we refuse to read Moo, Baa, La La La for the twenty-second time in a row.

She drives me crazy. She is an absolute joy.

You may or may not want to watch the following:

Trip to the Firestation

2011-10-14T12:01:00.000-07:00

Elliot's class took a trip to the our local fire station this morning. It's only two block from our house (so close that I figure, hey kids, go ahead and play with those matches. We're covered!) It was fun to get to meet all of Elliot's friends. Plus, they all had to wear the most ridiculous (and therefore adorable) white hats with the name of their school on the front.

The firemen did a great job with their presentation. Elliot, however, was not the most attentive pupil.

I learned:

1) In an emergency, call 911.
2) Don't hide from scary firemen wearing their oxygen masks.
3) If you are on fire, stop, drop and roll.

Elliot learned:

1) A fireman's hat is really heavy.

Picnic in the Park

2011-09-18T16:48:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Harper's birthday with a picnic in Central Park with friends. It was a beautiful day -- and Elise brought her camera and captured it all. (Thank you!)

Here are some thoughts on parties in New York:

Sometimes you have to share your space with some random people. Like professional ballroom dancers doing a photo shoot. And pot smokers. (To their credit, we were in Strawberry Fields).

You can scare away said random people if you give enough kids whistles and Chinese yo-yos.

Your stroller is almost better than a mini-van (Don't believe it? Check the photo at the bottom).

(Sorry for the weird formatting -- these are actually scrapbook pages).

This little lady

2011-09-08T12:01:00.000-07:00

Somehow managed to turn one. What?! I'm still not sure how that happened.

Here's ten things about Harper on her 1st birthday.

1. She is a menace. For instance, last week I was in the kitchen doing dishes when Elliot started yelling, "Harper's doing a no-no!" I came running to find her standing at the toilet, playing in the water while Elliot was peeing into it. Menace, I tell you.

2. She is loud. And talkative. All day long, we hear "Yeah, yeah, yeah!" And I love it.

3. She adores her brother. When he walks out of his "room" (if you've been to my apartment, you know why I put that in quotation marks) in the morning, she practically jumps out of my lap to greet him.

4. She's easy-going. Sure, she hates it when I take something from her she's desperate to put in her mouth (legos, anyone?), but once she's sure she's been heard on the issue, she drops it. And I love her for it.

5. She's a picky eater. A recent development, I'm afraid. Luckily, she doesn't know who she's up against. I am perfectly happy to put the same bite of mashed potatoes into her mouth ten times, if that's what it takes. (Clearly, I do not share her lovely, easy-going personality).

6. She spends 75% of her time in the stroller. Or at least it feels that way. Is it the same with babies and carseats in the suburbs?

7. Though she loves to be upright and cruise along furniture, she is not in the least interested in walking.

8. She has the most adorable, big, gap-toothed smile ever. Well, adorable on a one year old. One a 14 year old, we'd probably be talking headgear.

9. Her favorite playground pastime is climbing up slides. And she's pretty good at it. Today she made it all the way up a slide without a single push from me.

10. She flirts with men in our elevator. Usually they flirt right back. Occasionally they ignore her and I am offended for her.

This seems like years ago-

First Day of School

2011-09-08T11:56:00.001-07:00

If anyone had told me a year ago that I'd send Elliot to full-day, five-days-a-week public pre-k, I'd have laughed.

Yet, here we are. And look how excited he was! I could hardly get him to hold still for a picture.

So even though my heart is breaking a bit to let my baby go (why don't I have $15k on hand for private, part-time school?), I think he's ready.

More Week in the Life

2011-09-01T11:59:00.000-07:00

Here is Wednesday:

Elliot Says

2011-08-30T11:57:00.000-07:00

After watching the Backyardigans Polka Party:

"Mom, I want a tuba for my birthday. A big tuba. I really love the tuba."

Week in the Life Project

2011-08-24T12:06:00.000-07:00

At the end of July, I carried my camera around for entire week in attempt to document our day-to-day life. I've started putting it together and thought I'd post it here as I do. Here's Tuesday:

Politically, but Not Regliously, Astute

2011-07-25T18:37:00.000-07:00

Sharing Time Teacher: "Who is our stake president right now?"

Elliot: "Obama."

Awesome.

Beach Day

2011-07-17T20:43:00.001-07:00

Elliot couldn't get enough of the water and Harper couldn't get too little. Suprisingly little sand was consumed (wiser than her brother, perhaps?)

And I'm sure Chris would like me to note that Harper did have clothes on for most of the day.

Harper Kate - 10 Months

2011-07-08T11:05:00.000-07:00

And look what she can do (even at 6:30 a.m. in a dirty airport terminal.)

In other (very important) news, Harper will not need baby dentures after all. Her two bottom teeth just broke through.

Favorite Things:

Elliot
Any toy that is not a baby toy
Pot Roast (even without the teeth, she downed it)
Going outside
Ritz Crackers
Eating her headbands

Least Favorite Things:

Getting out of the bath
Getting her pajamas on
Bottles

Most common expression seen on Harper's face:

(Meeting her Aunt Tamarra for the first time. Don't be offended, Tamarra. That is how she looks at everyone. Everyone except for Elliot, that is.)

She's Back!

2011-07-07T10:53:00.000-07:00

And we're so glad. Here's 8 of the 9 of us on my roof. Alia, we missed you!

PS - She's still wearing her tag because she hadn't been released yet. Not because she's weird. Though she is a little weird. :)

PPS - My mom says she can tell we are getting older because it was incredibly easy to take a picture of us all with all of us looking at the camera.

Bubble Beards

2011-06-29T20:11:00.000-07:00

Because a bubble goatee is just funny:

Not pictured, but even more funny: Harper losing her temper when I removed her from the bubbles. I'm not sure why I find angry Harper so amusing. Maybe it's because she's so placid 99% of the time that I just can't seem to take her balled up fists, scrunched up eyes, and barking yell all that seriously. Elliot and I just look at her and giggle. Look - Harper's mad! Hahaha!

(Elliot's likely internal dialogue during all of this: "Girl, that's all you got? I could do better than that with one hand tied behind my back and my free thumb in my mouth. You've got some big shoes to fill, little sister. Big. Shoes.)

Scooters

2011-06-19T09:36:00.000-07:00

Are a big deal around here. Can you tell?

Might as well start young.

Side note: As I watch Elliot scooter across Broadway without holding an adult's hand (but with me close by, of course), I often think that this would give most of my friends in the 'burbs a heart attack. (Steve? Are you still with us?) Around here, however, it is quite a common sight for kids his age. Elliot in a parking lot of a Costco, however, freaks the heck out of me. Funny what you get used to...

City Kid

2011-06-10T10:35:00.000-07:00

When you turn off Broadway to walk down a tree-lined side street and your four-year-old says, "Mom, is this the woods?" you know you've raised a city kid.

Harper Kate - 9 Months

2011-06-09T17:03:00.000-07:00

While still in the 99th percentile for happiness, it turns out Harper has a bit of a feisty streak. This generally manifests itself when I'm eating something and won't share. Boy, does that make her mad (and, me, amused). In fact, I was very nearly clobbered over a pretzel the other day. Poor girl needs some teeth!

In the meantime, however, she is working on other skills. She is a world-class clapper and likes to show off. I've been trying to get her to wave, but she'll only watch me for a moment and then start clapping. It's as though she's saying, "That's nice, Mom. But, come on. How cool is this?!"

She'll eat pretty much anything, smile at pretty much anything, and sit happily in her stroller for pretty much any length of time. We pretty much love her.

Picnic

2011-06-07T17:51:00.000-07:00

We had a picnic in Riverside Park this afternoon. The kids may have gotten a little dirty.

Smelliot

2011-05-22T11:36:00.000-07:00

This morning Harper had a record-breaking blowout. The kind where there is more poop outside of the diaper than in. The kind where poop ends up in her hair. The kind where there is poop on the new rug and on my shirt. The kind that requires an immediate dip in the tub.

Big brother, of course, was bothered that he didn't get to take an early bath as well. So I calmly explained that Harper was only getting a bath because she had pooped all over herself. What does Elliot do? He looks me squarely in the eye and deliberately pees his pants. As the puddle of urine slowly spreads and starts soaking the leg of my pants (I'm trapped! I have an infant in the tub! I'm completely helpless against the approaching tide!), he looks at me and says, "Now I need a bath, too."

I'm recording this so I can share it at his wedding rehearsal dinner. Or in a full-page ad in his senior yearbook. He deserves it, don't you think?

(Also, I think this is the kind of day that Chris ends up being sort-of glad he had to go into work over the weekend.)

Elliot, Filmmaker

2011-05-18T11:11:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when I leave Elliot alone with my phone.

Plants vs Zombies

2011-05-07T03:36:00.000-07:00

Is, apparently, really interesting.

It's My Birthday Too, Yeah

2011-04-17T18:10:00.000-07:00

Have I mentioned that Chris and I have birthdays exactly a week apart?

And that Chris totally won the who-can-make-the-other-person's-birthday-cooler contest this year?

In celebration of my having survived 30 years, Chris threw me a Survivor birthday party. (Side Note: If you don't watch Survivor and look down your nose at those who do, I pity you. You are missing some fabulous television. Go watch it. And while you are at it, watch Community and Friday Night Lights, too.)

It was awesome. AWESOME. Chris, aka Jeff Probst, planned it. Frank and Kara did the decorations. Erin did the food. I was surrounded by people I love.

Pictures below. The ones that actually look good were taken by my awesome friend, Marne.

(Yes, that is Kara in the bottom picture.)

And the wonderful people that made it happen:

They Say it's Your Birthday

2011-04-12T10:40:00.000-07:00

Last year on Chris's birthday, I woke up, couldn't breathe, and wound up in the hospital with pneumonia. This year Harper gamely kept the streak going and came down with RSV.

So this was Chris's birthday cake:

That picture was taken before we'd even eaten a bite. After a day of doctors, nebulizers, and one sad baby, I ran over to Magnolias and got whatever they had left at about 7 p.m. That was what they had left. After a rousing chorus of Happy Birthday, Chris blew out a match. Sad, huh?

Fortunately, the day before, Kara and Frank babysat our boy and sick girl and Chris and I went on a tour of the city's independent bookstores. Our favorite was this one:

It was our favorite because notes like these were all over the shelves:

Chris got a couple of great books, we got some sushi at Nobu Nextdoor, and we got a break from our children. So, all in all, the birthday wasn't a total loss.

Here's to a better one next year, babe.

Harper Kate - 7 Months

2011-04-11T12:12:00.000-07:00

This has been an eventful month for Harper. She learned to sit. She swallowed her first few bites of solid food (more on that in a later post). And she survived RSV + Ear Infection + Diarrhea + Horrible Diaper Rash (well, we are still working on the diarrhea -- but she has survived it thus far.)

And she is still a ridiculously happy baby.

Her favorite activities include sitting, smiling, and pulling on people's hair. Her favorite person is, of course, Elliot.

Her least favorite activity these days: diaper changes. Might be related to the diarrhea/diaper rash.

(Note: Between Elliot's two years of troubles and Harper's recent foray into the area, I feel like the world expert on diarrhea. I can describe consistency and color succinctly and accurately. I can gauge the water content. And I can clean it up faster than anyone around. Maybe I'll use this at the next Relief Society activity that requires me to share a "unique fact about myself.")

St. Patrick's Day Parade

2011-04-02T05:07:00.000-07:00

New York welcomed us back with beautiful weather and a parade. That's right. All those bag pipes and marching police officers were totally for us.

We watched the parade for about an hour and then asked someone standing near us if it was almost over. She laughed. We learned later that the parade was still going at 4:30 p.m. We left a little before noon.

We Are Also Big Fans of...

2011-03-26T12:01:00.000-07:00

Cousins:

Uncles:

Aunts:

And friends:

Grandparents

2011-03-26T11:43:00.000-07:00

See why my kid loves them?

(Not pictured: Suzan doing 75% of the night-shifts during Elliot's bout with the dreaded Influenza B. She saved my life. "Grandma? Grandma? I want mommy.")

Harper Kate - 6 Months

2011-03-26T03:50:00.000-07:00

This little lady turned six months in Utah.

In her sixth month:

She tried solid foods for the first time. She is not a fan. In fact, we are still working on that one.

She stopped sleeping through the night (sickness and travel will, apparently, do that.)

She learned to love riding in a car (mostly because she got to stare at Elliot the whole time. All he had to do was look at her to get her to crack up.)

She continued (and continues) to be an absolutely delightful baby.

A Boy's Best Friend

2011-03-22T17:53:00.000-07:00

I may not be a dog person, but my kids sure are! Elliot ran Rosie and Hildy ragged (I'm pretty sure Rosie actually lost weight) with his constant ball throwing, chasing, snuggling, and attempts to obedience train them ("Down! Okay!")

(Not pictured: Hildy - who did a better job of avoiding Elliot's enthusiasm.)

Pirate's Cove

2011-03-22T17:33:00.000-07:00

Pirate's Cove is essentially Chuckee Cheese with an eyepatch and slightly better food. Suffice it to say that it is not the kind of place five adults and an infant would go for their own entertainment. We were doing it for the almost-four-year-old. Unfortunately that almost-four-year-old was Elliot, who turned out to be afraid of the lights, the sounds, and - of course - the pirates.

He did, however, like his balloon sword.

The best part was that for the rest of the trip, any time we went out to eat he required reassurance that the restaurant would be noise and pirate-free.

Elliot Goes Skiing

2011-03-18T18:53:00.001-07:00

Before the dreaded influenza B hit, we managed to get Elliot on the slopes. He didn't love it - but he didn't hate it, either. A good first step for my nervous kid. I was thrilled. (Plus, his tiny rental skis were about the cutest thing I have ever seen.)

Later that day he was telling his grandma about ski school. He only mentioned other boys, so Suzan asked him if there were any girls in his class. He said there was one and Suzan asked him what her name was. After stopping to think for a moment, this was his response: "I don't know. But I know that she was hungry and wanted her mommy."

We didn't get any pictures of him actually skiing, but here is the before and after.

Before:

After (still smiling!):

And Again.

2011-03-18T16:43:00.000-07:00

I joke not.

Harper. RSV.

A year ago Sunday I was in the hospital on a nebulizer with pneumonia. What better way to commerate that than to buy my very own nebulizer?

We did manage to have a couple of days of fun in between illnesses. Posts to come soon.

Sick

2011-03-03T09:41:00.000-08:00

Again.

Elliot has been running a 104+ fever for 6 days now. Influenza B (despite a flu shot). It is the sickest I have ever seen him. Ever. We are living in our pajamas, not leaving the house, and praying Harper doesn't get this (she's on tamiflu to try and keep her healthy).

And we were supposed to be in Arizona this week, enjoying 80 degree weather and the company of my sister and cute nephew.

You get sick, you get better, you get sick, you get better, you get sick, you die.

We just don't seem to get better.

Utah

2011-02-24T19:26:00.000-08:00

Now there are a lot of things I don't like about Utah. State Street. Pollution. The Jazz trading Deron Williams two weeks before the Knicks/Jazz game I bought Chris really great tickets to for Christmas. But there is one thing I really like about Utah:

Kid-friendliness.

Welcome to Kangaroo Zoo. A ginormous warehouse filled with every thing you can imagine to bounce on. All for the very reasonable price of $7.99. Along with leather sofas, free wi-fi, People magazines, and a massage chair (yes, a massage chair) for the relaxing parent.

As Chris said when I sent him these pictures, in NY this would cost $150 an hour.

New York, we miss you. But could you please get a Kangaroo Zoo?

Puking

2011-02-14T13:46:00.000-08:00

And about to embark on a flight to Utah with two kids. Without Chris. Awesome.

This quote from Raising Hope has been running through my mind lately:

"You get sick, you get better. You get sick, you get better. You get sick, you die. That's life."

Truer words have never been spoken on a sitcom.

To all the Utahans I know and love -- I'll give you a call when I surface.

Harper Kate - 5 Months

2011-02-13T13:17:00.001-08:00

I cannot believe how fast the past five months have gone. Cliche, I know, but true. Wasn't she born, like, last week sometime?

Harper continues to be a delightful baby. She was recently sick and hardly fussed through the whole thing. In fact, I caught what she had and I am pretty sure I was more whiny than her about it.

Harper can roll over (from front to back, at least), but is generally content to just sit where I've put her. She smiles a lot and her brother can almost always get a laugh out of her (generally by yelling "poop!") She loves, loves baths and doesn't even mind when her brother splashes her in the face. She does not like going to bed at night. While she generally sleeps through the night (7 to 7) and goes down for naps without complaint, she often protests quite loudly at bedtime.

We all like her so much, Elliot keeps asking me, "do you have another baby in your tummy yet?" When I tell him no, he responds with the 3-year-old equivalent of "well, what are you waiting for?!"

Not so fast, kiddo.

Notice all the beautiful pictures of my munchkins lately? They are all courtesy of Elise, my fabulous friend who brings her camera everywhere and is always happy to email pictures.

The Kemsleys Go To India

2011-02-09T16:27:00.000-08:00

For the past few years, my mom has spent a month in India each year working at a preschool in the tiny town of Santiniketan, about 180 km north of Kolkata. This all started when, after 27 years of having babies (literally -- my youngest brother only started full-day school last year) she felt like she needed to do something for herself.

Turns out my mom's idea of doing something for herself is doing something for other people.

So her yearly India trip was born. The preschool she teaches at serves the needs of children that would otherwise care for themselves (and often their younger siblings) while their parents work.

This year, rather than her go alone, my parents decided that they would all go. So my Mom, Dad, and four of my siblings (the ones that still live at home) are in the middle of six weeks of service in India.

And here are some of their photos:

These are my two youngest brothers, Josh (8) and Caleb (9). They are attending school in India while they are there. My favorite of these photos is the one of Caleb sitting in the dirt eating his lunch. Caleb is an notorious picky eater (who hates mashed potatoes for goodness sakes!?), and here he is digging right in.

This is my sister Mikaela (16). She's teaching math and English. My brother Sean (14), on the right, is helping my mom in the preschool.

These are the monkeys that hang out in town. Elliot was SO jealous when he saw these photos.

My mom with some of her preschool kids.

Kara and Frank head out on Friday. I am so bummed to be missing it. We are there next year, Suzan!

Isn't This Boy...

2011-02-05T10:15:00.000-08:00

Cute?

(He is also a thumb-sucker. Obviously.)

Gender Roles Have Surfaced

2011-02-04T12:11:00.000-08:00

Conversation during yesterday's music class:

Elliot, holding up a movement scarf: "Is this a girl thing?"

Me, pretending not to understand: "What?"

Elliot, rolling his eyes: "I mean is this a princess thing or a king thing?"

Me: "Definitely a king thing."

Me (thinking): And, while we are on the subject, cleaning the bathrooms, doing dishes, and waking up with babies are all king things, too. Got it, little man?

(Elise - can't believe you caught this moment. Thank you for sending the photos!)

Harper's Friends

2011-02-02T17:34:00.001-08:00

Elliot asked me the other day, "Who are Harper's friends?"

Well, Elliot, these are Harper's friends.

Have I mentioned that she was one of 18 babies born in our ward in 2010? I think they might have to split that nursery class.

Notes on Snow

2011-01-28T17:21:00.000-08:00

We've had 56.5 inches so far this winter.

Let me repeat myself: 56.5 inches.

It is January 28th.

Want to know what it is like to live in NYC during a winter with 56.5 inches of snow (and counting)?

The city looks like this (that is a car on the right):

Which means on most days we look like this:

But some days we take time to stop and look like this:

And on those days our apartment looks like this:

Which means the only place for a boy to sit down and read is this (yes, that is a car seat):

Family Resemblence

2011-01-24T16:48:00.000-08:00

When I was home recently, my mom commented that she didn't really think that Harper looked much like Elliot. Or me. Or Chris, for that matter. What do you think?

From L to R: Elliot, Me, Chris

This Guy

2011-01-24T11:40:00.000-08:00

is cracking me up these days.

For instance, in the car on the way back from Connecticut (Josh's baptism, to be exact), Elliot decided he wanted to sing primary songs. Not just any primary songs, though, he wanted to sing his OWN primary song. It went a little something like this:

Welcome to God.
Welcome to God.
You are so special.
You are so special.
You can be baptized
just like Jesus!

Based on this, I'm not sure what, exactly, he thinks God is (a place?) -- but we are pretty sure this track will be spinning on an EFY soundtrack soon.

Also, the other day Chris was growling at him (happens quite frequently around here) and Elliot looked at him very seriously and said, "Stop that, Dad. You're creeping me out."

Sleep Training Success?

2011-01-17T19:07:00.000-08:00

I originally left the question mark off the title of this post. Then Chris told me not to jinx it. Good point, I thought. So, a question mark was added and I did lots of knocking on wood (well, Ikea "wood" -- but that counts, right?)

But, to get to the point of this post: LAST NIGHT HARPER SLEPT FROM 6:30 P.M. UNTIL 5:45 A.M.

I, of course, woke up every two hours wondering if my daughter was dead.

She wasn't. Instead she's become rather adept at sucking her thumb. My thought? Bring on the orthodontia bills, baby. What's a couple grand compared to a good night's sleep?

So fingers crossed our luck holds tonight. If not, I'm digging last night's pajamas out of the laundry hamper. I am not above lucky pajamas.

Harper Kate - 4 Months

2011-01-13T11:44:00.000-08:00

Harper had her 4 month check-up on Monday. Elliot came along -- and cried right along with her when she got her shots. Luckily the nurse thought he deserved a lollipop for being such an empathetic big brother.

Here are her stats:

Height: 24.5 inches (50th percentile)
Weight: 12 lbs 9 oz (50th percentile)
Head Circumference: 40.5 cm (50th percentile - phew!)
And, as Chris said, 99th percentile for smiling.

Harper continues to be an extremely pleasant baby. She smiles easily and often, giggles (mostly at her brother) regularly, and only fusses when she wants something. On the downside, her nighttime sleep has really taken a nose dive. Which is why we started sleep training. Yesterday. So far it has gone better than expected. Hopefully we'll get through it quickly as sleep training is, along with potty training, one of my least favorite parenting tasks.

Christmas 2010

2011-01-13T11:07:00.000-08:00

Our Christmas morning started at the very reasonable hour of 7:15 a.m. when, being the impatient parents that we are, we woke Elliot up.

Here's what Santa had to offer (with a little help from Grandma Suzan, Grandpa Bill, and the Lunsfords):

The "Cozy Cone" (a motel from the movie "Cars" for those of you without boys between the age of 2 and 5) took a lot of work with a glue gun on the part of Santa's elves--apparently Santa's workshop (aka Amazon.com) doesn't usually make them. As Chris put it, it was most expensive $3.99 present ever.

Christmas PJ's:

Christmas Morning: (Yes, I am as tired as I look)

Christmas day was followed by a blizzard (with lightning and thunder!), a trip to Connecticut for my mom's birthday, and a puke virus (contracted in Connecticut). Over all, though, we had a great Christmas!

Hilarious

2011-01-11T10:44:00.001-08:00

If you haven't already seen this on Jaime's or Elise's blog, check it out. I laughed so hard I cried. I'm not sure about the rest of the country, but in NY people believe it is their inalienable right to comment on your family size/make-up. I was recently stopped on the street and told, "Oh, you have a boy and a girl? Just close down shop, you hear me? Close down shop."

Santaland Diaries

2010-12-22T19:45:00.000-08:00

Riding Macy's wooden escalator to the 8th floor.
Making small talk with elves.
Going through the line not once, but twice (Elliot didn't get a good enough look at the trains the first time).
Not even bothering to get Harper out of her bear suit for her first ever Santa photo.
Capturing Santa's blank, creepy expression.
Having a random stranger on the subway refuse to let go of my hand after I let him shake it.

All worth it. Thanks, Santaland. See you next year.

Sick

2010-12-20T02:58:00.000-08:00

Chris had a nasty cold over Thanksgiving.
I came down with strep the day he got better.
Harper has had a hacking cough since before Halloween. This week she started wheezing too.
Elliot's cough is finally gone, but came down with a 24-hour bug last week that made him run a fever of 104.
And since Thursday morning, my right tonsil has become inflamed and hurts so bad that it feels like someone is sticking a needle into my eardrum. I'm planning on calling every ENT in town this morning and begging them to see me.

Let it end! (Santa? Are you hearing that? That is officially my Christmas wish.)

They Like Each Other

2010-12-09T12:12:00.000-08:00

Well, at least most of the time.

Tire Swing

2010-11-19T15:12:00.001-08:00

Thanks for the picture, Jaime.

Our Sweet Girl

2010-11-06T11:33:00.000-07:00

Halloween

2010-11-01T14:51:00.000-07:00

We got one moustache picture before Elliot opted for a clean-shaven look. After the ward party on Saturday, we headed up to Connecticut for some "real" trick-or-treating on Sunday. My favorite part of the evening? Elliot's enthusiasm over seeing stars. "Look, Mom. A star! A star!" Hmmm... he must live in the city.

It was FREEZING, so Harper and I only made it to a few houses, but the rest of the crew made it around the neighborhood. Then we all ate ourselves sick, took a few pictures, and drove home.

"It's me, Mario!"

Link Josh and Volk Caleb (Nintendo was big with the Kemsley/Patton's this year)

"Milk and Cookies"

The View from Our Window

2010-10-27T09:59:00.000-07:00

The crazy thing is, I'm so used to hearing fire trucks (there is a station down the street from us) that I didn't even realize our building was surrounded by them until friends started calling to check and see if we were okay. Then I looked out the window and saw this. Actually, I saw firemen climbing that ladder (to the 10th floor), smoke billowing out of the windows and bricks falling -- but couldn't pick my jaw up off the floor in time to get a picture of that.

Fortunately, smoke rises and we're on the second floor. Unfortunately -- we are stuck. And poor Jack R. is stuck with us. They aren't letting anyone in the building -- so if you leave you are out for good. And I don't have a good way to get any information. Right now I am just hoping that no one was inside that apartment at the time of the fire.

Harper Kate - Six Weeks

2010-10-24T11:17:00.000-07:00

Harper Kate's Six-Week Stats:

Nighttime Sleep -- She's a champ. She regularly sleeps a 6 hour+ stretch. Chris and I can't believe our good luck. We have a six week old and feel human at the same time -- has that ever, in the history of time, happened before?

Daytime Sleep -- It is hit or miss. Sometimes she'll stay awake for an entire day, collapsing into frantic tears of exhaustion at five or six in the evening. Sometimes she'll nap for hours. This can be slightly frustrating as far as getting anything done during the day, but with the way she sleeps at night, who can complain?

Favorite Activity -- Hands down staring at the framed scrapbook paper I have hanging above the couch. Often I will sit down with her and she'll look up, focus on the paper and get a huge grin like, "yes! I have been waiting to look at this all day!"

Least Favorite Activity -- Tummy time. It is just such hard work!

Personality -- She is social, social, social. She's been smiling since three weeks and has recently started cooing. She loves to stare at Chris and I and talk and talk. She continues to be easy-going and sweet -- though she is a bit more vocal about her dislikes these days (ie, tummy time).

Me -- I'm definitely still figuring this two kid thing out. My house is a wreck. We've been eating Trader Joe's frozen food for every meal. And I literally wore the same shirt for 48 hours straight this week. And all I can think is, "my mom did this nine times. NINE TIMES!" Amazing.

"We both fit!"

2010-10-12T18:25:00.000-07:00

Elliot is not yet willing to give up his crib, but he has informed me that he is open to sharing it.

Sleep

2010-10-10T05:51:00.000-07:00

Boy, do I miss it. Harper gave up sleeping during the day about two weeks ago. She gets by on 10 to 15 minute catnaps all day. This is a complete pain in the butt, but I thought, hey, at least she sleeps at night. As a newborn, she slept five hour stretches. Sometimes six. Then she went down to four. Then three. And the past couple of nights I haven't gotten more than a 1.5 hour stretch of sleep. So now I have a very good-natured little girl that never sleeps. And she has a mom that turns into a crying, crazy wreck on no sleep. And that mom has a husband who goes back to work this week.

Kill me now.

(I should add that I at least I don't have two other kids that have the flu right now. E, you are my hero.)

Apple Picking

2010-10-04T11:41:00.000-07:00

We went through a hay tunnel, climbed a hay pyramid, jumped in a bounce house, rode on a pony, lost and then found our camera, and changed a $50 diaper (the charge for returning our Zip Car late -- good thing Harper is worth it.) All in all, a great day.

Elliot Has Been Abducted by Aliens

2010-10-01T11:35:00.000-07:00

Or, at least, I'm pretty sure that's what has happened. Because last night my super-picky-eater-since-birth, scream-through-meals child ate his orange chicken without complaint, asked if he could please have some asparagus, and then said (and I'm not kidding), "thank you, Mom, for making me dinner."

The aliens can keep old Elliot. I like the new one.

(On a more serious note -- thank you Manhattan First ward for being the best ward in the church and providing us with two weeks of meals after Harper was born. I MADE Elliot eat every one and he's been a good sport about trying new foods ever since. You guys made my year! And have very likely saved Elliot from scurvy. I love you.)

Harper Kate

2010-09-26T17:40:00.000-07:00

Is, so far, one mellow little soul. She rarely cries, tolerates her brother's "caresses" like a champ, and only wakes us once or twice a night. And I love, love, love her for it.

Elliot's Version of "Snuggling"

2010-09-26T17:29:00.000-07:00

"I AM being soft!"

Elliot's First Yankee's Game

2010-09-26T17:26:00.000-07:00

They only lasted three innings, but Elliot drank lemonade, ate cotton candy, and yelled, "go Yankees!" to his heart's content. Good thing his Red Sox fan of a mother wasn't there.

Harper Update

2010-09-13T14:04:00.000-07:00

She had her first doctor's appointment today. Here are her stats.

Weight: 6 lbs 9 oz
Height: 19.5 inches
Head Circumference: 13.5 inches

And this is what she spends most of her time doing these days:

It's Official

2010-09-11T20:25:00.000-07:00

We like her.

A gift from her brother -- "Pink Nolan"

This picture just cracked me up.

She's already discovered her thumb.

And took her first bath in stride -- not a single squeak.

Harper Kate

2010-09-08T22:05:00.000-07:00

In case you haven't found out via the 17 other forms of media in which we've announced her arrival, Harper Kate Patton was born September 8, at 5:52 p.m.

She weighed in at a solid 6 lbs. 11 oz.

The delivery went as smooth as humanly possible and Janelle is feeling pretty good.

No Baby

2010-09-04T14:08:00.000-07:00

I still haven't had this stinkin' baby. Just in case you were wondering.

Our Grumpy Looking Baby

2010-08-23T13:08:00.000-07:00

We are hoping that she is cuter than this. Or at least happier looking. And that, either way, she comes out soon!

Nantucket

2010-08-09T02:55:00.000-07:00

We beached, we crabbed, we biked, and we relaxed. And we weren't ready to come home.

Also, I never quite realize how big my family is until I see a picture like this:

36 Weeks Pregnant

2010-08-08T15:14:00.000-07:00

See? I really am pregnant.

The Taste of Summer

2010-07-03T05:06:00.000-07:00

New York City public park water. Who says kids can only build their immune system up on farms?

Thanks for the picture, Jaime.

Behavior Issues

2010-06-25T11:51:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned earlier, we've been having a big problem with tantrums around here. They happen 2 or 3 times a day, most often when we are leaving someplace he would rather stay (like the park). I've tried to ignore them and I certainly don't give into them -- which means I am frequently shoving a thrashing toddler into a stroller. I've been taking this approach for about a year now -- thinking at some point he would figure out that he wasn't getting anywhere with his behavior and give up. But, of course, this is Elliot and, if he is anything, he is stubborn. Lately he has decided that he doesn't like it when I ignore him, so he has starting escalating his behavior -- by hitting me, kicking me or scratching my face. I think I need to escalate my approach in response -- with some seriously negative consequences. Hit him where it hurts, so to speak. I just have no clue what those ought to be (and yes, we already do time outs). Any thoughts?

Linea's Graduation

2010-06-21T11:29:00.000-07:00

Linea rocks. Here's why:

She is an unabashed nerd who is not ashamed of her love of all things fantasy or Nintendo related.
She runs circles around the rest of us smarts-wise.
She thinks the Quill and the Sword (you know, that club where people dress up in chain mail and fight with wooden swords?) sounds awesome. She may join.
She's funny.
And she is the first Kemsley girl (myself included) that my parents are truly sad to see leave the home. Who knew a 17 year old could be so pleasant? None of the rest of us want her to go either!

Random Note: During her graduation, we learned that the term "bored to tears" is not just a figure of speech. See the picture of Josh below.

Just to Make it Clear

2010-06-08T19:44:00.000-07:00

That my kid doesn't crap rainbows (as a friend put is so well on her blog), this is a photo of what we've been dealing with lately. On the upside, my "forcing a screaming, thrashing toddler into a stroller" skills have been totally perfected.

Saturday Afternoon

2010-05-10T05:50:00.001-07:00

I like these people.

Elliot's Third Birthday

2010-04-26T17:27:00.000-07:00

Painting cars, racing them on a track, hanging out with friends and eating pink (at his request) cupcakes -- all in all, a good birthday.

Pneumonia

2010-03-24T18:51:00.000-07:00

Is, I think, a phonetic spelling of the sound people with it make when they cough.

I am one of those people. After three days of unsalted hospital food and doctors who only enter my room after donning full-on on haz-mat gear, I am home. Well, a home. I am being taken care of by my mommy (I promise I only call her that when I am sick) in Connecticut.

And I am glad I didn't (until now) know that pneumonia is the 6th leading cause of death in the United States.

Phew. Thank you, antibiotics. I owe you one.

Pineward Derby

2010-03-17T17:35:00.000-07:00

Considering the fact that Chris and I are about the least artistic people around, we were pretty proud of our car for the Ward Pinewood Derby. Excuse me, PineWARD Derby.

Ka-chow!

Elliot and his friends Jack, Hudson, and Sawyer had a ball watching the cars race. They cheered and gave each other high fives, gorged themselves on cotton candy and just generally had a great time. Wish I had gotten a better picture, but this was the best I could do. Oh, and I had to include proof (albeit fuzzy) that Elliot does occasionally fold his arms for prayers.

Disneyland

2010-03-09T18:14:00.000-08:00

Thoughts on a vacation:

1. Our son is a class A wimp. Even Dumbo made him whimper.
2. Elliot loves Oscar too much for him to live on the other side of the country.
3. The sight of Lightning McQueen in the flesh sends our son into literal spasms of joy.
4. Yes, he is kissing McQueen in that picture.
5. When Elliot is very excited, he likes to press his face against ours. We have aptly named this the "face press."
6. Monte Cristo Sandwiches are delicious.
7. Hot tubs are fun for all ages.
8. Frank's shout of "sping break" can cause you to make poor choices (like eating your entire Monte Cristo sandwich).
9. Germans need to start inventing games for six people.
10. Disneyland is a lot of fun, but probably even more fun if you aren't pregnant.
11. By the way, I am pregnant.

Snow Day

2010-02-27T19:45:00.000-08:00

Fear of snow pants conquered.

20 inches in Central Park. Fourth biggest snowstorm in NY on record.

20 inches of great snowman snow, that is.

I made a funny face to get him to smile. He just copied my face.

Pretty cool place to play in the snow.

A Two-Year-Olds Observations at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

2010-02-23T20:06:00.000-08:00

In the Egyptian Section (where many of the statues were no longer intact): "Where's they heads?" and "What happen his nose, Mommy? It get squished?"

In the Renaissance Sculpture Garden: (Mischievous smile) "They naked!"

We loved having Grandma Suzan visit!

Snowman

2010-02-10T07:45:00.001-08:00

Elliot has been wanting to build a snowman for ages. So when we awoke to inches of wet, wonderful snowman snow this morning, I was thrilled. Unfortunately, it turns out that snow pants freak Elliot out and no amount of coaxing would convince him to put them on.

Fortunately, Chris came up with a brilliant solution before he left for work. Meet Bob, our snowman.

Elliot Right Now

2010-01-27T17:59:00.000-08:00

I usually try and keep the text of my posts to a minimum, so this one is a bit of an anomaly. Please forgive my self-indulgence.

Elliot Right Now:

Has started teasing. “Does the sandwich go in my eye? No. In my ear? No. In my mouth? Yes!” He also likes to tickle and squish people. The squishing is especially rough. After all, he weighs like 27 pounds.

Says every prayer the same way. “Heavenly Father, please bless Daddy. Please bless Mommy. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.”

Admits willingly to wrongdoing. Today he was at Chris's work-provided day care (Like I said, I’m desperately trying to get my MA thesis done) and when I met him for lunch I asked him if he was being nice to the babies. He said, “No. I pushed the babies.” We had a long talk about not pushing. Tonight, as I was leaving his room he said, “Goodnight. And no push babies.”

We made the mistake of telling him we are going to Disneyland in March. Now he asks to go every day.

Says “I love you” voluntarily. (Though he can’t quite get the “l” sound yet, so it is “I wove you.”)

Is constantly surprising me by the things he understands and remembers. We went to City Bakery on Saturday -- a place we haven’t been to since going with Jill and Jared a year ago and as soon as we walked in Elliot looked up at us and said, “where’s Oscar?”

Is always “still” hungry. Never just plain hungry.

Is tricksy. When it’s time for bed we hear, “I still hungry. I need a bath. I scared. I need brush my teeth. I need clean up my toys.” Sigh.

Still doesn’t want to ride in the stroller. Putting him in it is a battle every time. I used to think this was just a phase. Now I think it’s just his personality.

Loves music. I now have an Elliot playlist on my iPod. Recent favorites include “Life is a Highway” (from Cars) and the Veggie tales theme song.

Sits at the table rather than his highchair for most meals.

Throws fits: Before every meal, before baths, before naps/bedtime, when leaving the house, when leaving friends’ homes, when leaving for church (favorite quote, “I want a different church!”), when we turn the tv off.

Time-outs: Consist of screaming at the top of his lungs in his bed for a few minutes before calming down and asking to “snuggle.”

Would watch tv all day if we let him. (We don’t.) Loves: Curious George, Veggie Tales (“I want to watch the tomato and the cucumber” – I should tell him when he is willing to eat those things, he can watch them), Cars, Thomas, and Wall-e. And football. Seriously.

Thinks riding in a car is a special treat. Guess that’s what happens when your parents don’t own a car.

Knows where Magnolia’s (bakery), Planet Kids (toy store), and friends’ homes are. And tries to direct me to said locations. (“No, mom. I want to go this way.”)

Has the most ridiculously cute dimples ever. Gift straight from God to his mother, who is a huge sucker for dimples.

Lack of Blogging

2010-01-27T13:24:00.001-08:00

Please excuse the lack of blogging lately. I'm am going crazy working on my Master's thesis and Elliot has inherited my tendency to blink any time a camera comes out. Busy mom + bad pictures = very little interest in blogging.

I will try to do better.

Suspicious Santa

2009-12-16T06:47:00.000-08:00

Halloween

2009-11-01T14:37:00.000-08:00

Church party. Trick-or-treating on 69th Street. Evaluate spoils (runts and lollipops - good, chocolate - "yucky"). Crash.

Bird is the Word

2009-10-28T19:07:00.000-07:00

This is what landed on Chris's 42nd floor, mid-town Manhattan office window-sill this afternoon.

It is a Peregrin Falcon -- one of 32 that live here in Manhattan as part of the city's 30-year effort to restore the falcon population (they started with two).

Pumpkin Carving

2009-10-27T11:36:00.001-07:00

Me: "Elliot, help me get the seeds out of the pumpkin. We have to scrape it out and make it all clean."

Elliot (looking in the pumpkin and then backing away in disgust): "Stinky."

Chris (putting his own hand in the pumpkin): "Come on, Elliot. It's fun. It's not yucky."

Elliot (looking at Chris as though Chris had just suggested that cookie did not, in fact, start with the letter C, but J, instead): "Yes, yucky."

Needless to say, Chris and I ended up doing all the leg work on this project. Elliot did, however, enjoy the result.

Our Idea of a Good Time

2009-10-22T16:31:00.000-07:00

Keeping Things Clean

2009-10-18T18:59:00.000-07:00

As Chris was heading into the bathroom this morning, Elliot asked him what he was doing. When Chris told him he was going to take a shower, this is what Elliot said:

(Finger wagging) "No poop, no pee-pee, Daddy"

Anyone want to guess what we say to Elliot every time we put him in the bathtub? Apparently, Elliot thought Chris could use the reminder too.

Doughnut Plant

2009-10-14T11:05:00.000-07:00

What kind of a mom would steal the last few bites of her kid's doughnut because it is Tres Leche and so delicious? This kind of mom.

To give myself some credit, I did feel a smidge guilty when he looked up at me and said "I want doughnut!"

Hey, Chris "shared" with Elliot too.

Chilling

2009-10-01T20:07:00.000-07:00

When I asked Elliot what he was doing, he pulled his thumb out of his mouth and told me he was "just chilling."

Really.

In other news, Jill has inspired me to open an email account for Elliot. If you want to send him an email, he can now be reached at elliotipatton@gmail.com.

Why My Brothers-in-Law Are Awesome, Part 2

2009-10-01T19:58:00.000-07:00

This one brought me homemade butternut squash soup when he heard I was sick. Have I mentioned that Frank and Kara now live in our building? Have I mentioned how glad I am that they do?

For Jill

2009-09-29T12:48:00.000-07:00

Did you know your son was the face of a nationally distributed dairy-product?

Elliot points this out every time we give him a yogurt.

Oh, and Elliot eats yogurt now!

U2

2009-09-25T13:45:00.000-07:00

Totally worth the traffic, the parking hell of the Meadlowlands, and the small fortune we paid a babysitter.

U2 puts on a good show. U2 puts on a big show. U2 puts on a really good, really big show. Even if you don't like U2, I recommend you go to one of their concerts. Because it's not just a concert, it's an experience.

Kara and Frank

The set