no no

Though my guy is still mostly an easy laid back toddler, he has decided that telling him "no" is the most awful thing ever done.  This particular time was on vacation and he was determined to play with a rusty, metal, heavy umbrella stand.  Said stand could have caused 1 of 2 things. 1) As he was trying to peer into the center he could have scratched his entire face leaving a rusty scratch between his eyes.  or 2) As he lifted up the corner it could have landed on his foot causing him to cry and cry and cry.  That's right, both of those things eventually happened because his determination coupled with his refusal to get into the water and my inability lift and put out of his reach lead to an obsession with this stupid umbrella stand.

Not only does he cry and throw a fit, but my ignoring only makes it worse.  He will cry and cry until I lift and console him.  It lasted about 15 minutes in this case, long enough to go and get the camera in an effort to leave the scene and ignore the behavior.  Needless to say, it didn't work.  He stood in one place and just cried.  This is where he differs from his sister.  She cried because she had to stop the behavior, he seems to cry because I hurt his little feelings, hence the need for consoling.  So, how do you tell a kid no when you know he will feel so sad?  Don't worry, I guess I'm heartless because I still manage.  

potty talk

As with most preschoolers, a lot of our life revolves around the toilet.  This leads to humor on a daily basis.  Here are some recent conversations that I feel the need to share though I know this could lead to hatred from my daughter in about 10 years.

1. A. has been potty trained since 22 months.  But, she can not make it through the night without a pull up for the life of her.  Recently, we started lifting.  I'm not sure why there is a name for a technique that basically means we take her to the bathroom before we go to bed, but there is.  We carry this poor sleeping child to the toilet every night.  Most of the time, she does not even wake up yet she does her deed and then makes it the rest of the night.

Other times, she does wake up and then we have the most interesting, deep conversations, well, as deep as a 3 year old can be.  "Mommy, why do we clean up all the time when we just make more messes." -- good question A.

2. Using public bathrooms with little kids is... disgusting.  My inner germaphobe goes crazy everytime I sit her down.  I try the paper covers but for some reason, her little hands find the one uncovered spot every. single. time.  "Mommy, why do  you cover this potty up?" she asks.  "Well, to protect from germy butts." I reply.  "Oh, like the old lady who was leaving.  She must have a germy butt."  Now, how do you answer these questions without laughing.  I did.  I laughed hysterically and now she says that every old lady has a germy butt to get my reaction.  I still laugh because it doesn't get old, at least not until she tells an little cute old lady that she has a germy butt.

vacation emotions

It isn't a secret that I am constantly trying to simplify our life.  The main solution is moving away from traffic and the busyness that is surburban America; that will happen in due time.  However, I feel that in the mean time, this quest is a constant work in progress.  If it isn't organizing a closet to ease getting out of the house in the morning, it is slowing down our daily activities and plans to make sure that we are home to play.  Despite my efforts, I still feel like we are constantly in motion.  Vacation was a different story.  We didn't set alarms, we followed the kids lead and played all day long.  I know that this is unrealistic and we can't always live like that, but it was soo refreshing for a week.  Not only did I feel better, but the kids were different too.  A. was MUCH more cooperative and K. seemed more outgoing.  On the last morning, as we were cleaning out the pantry, there were 2 cookies left.  My kids have a definite sweet tooth that I try hard to manage and monitor all the time.  On this morning, I looked at their well behaved, relaxed, beach tanned faces and handed them a cookie for breakfast.  Then I teared up because I want those well behaved, relaxed faces all the time.  Now, how do I make that happen?

  

the forever boo boo

A few weeks ago, A. fell out of the door and onto her knee.  Yes, you read correctly, she was walking and then fell out of the door.  She immediately had to have a band aid which, at the time was necessary.  She even needed 2 to cover the entire boo boo.  However, now, between the knee constantly rebreaking open from the other 323 falls onto her knee and the recurring splinters in her feet, I think we may need to buy stock in bandaids.  B. actually asked me if we generate more bandaid trash than the typical household.  Yes!!

"Mommy, I just need to rest my knee a little bit"

notice the sunscreen on the right leg.  It needed extra because we couldn't put any around her boo boo on her left leg.  I told her that I don't think the sunscreen projects onto the other leg to protect it.  She didn't believe me.  

Yes, I did oblige and make her a cast out of napkins on the rainy day at the beach.  It helped to remind her to "take it easy"

If this is the drama that we have as a 3 year old, I'm concerned about the teenage years.

take that swimming lessons

Gone is the girl who was crying in the closet so she didn't have to enter the pool.  She has decided that swimming is the best thing ever.  She doesn't care if it is in the beach or the pool, as long as there is water.  While we were on vacation, she came to our room at 6:05am completely dressed in her hello kitty bathing suit bottoms, her new OBX top, and her crocs.  Later, when I went in to make her bed, I found her pajamas still on her bunk.  I'm pretty sure she changed in the middle of the night and slept in her bathing suit.

I love her face in this one!

Gone is the boy who waited by the door to get in the pool. He has decided that the pool is not the most fun, the sand and rocks are way better.

running away from his sister at the water's edge

 The pool deck is ok, but

he would rather be anywhere than in the water.

The first rules of the week were that A. could be on the steps in the pool with her life vest on if we were outside.  She could let her toes get wet with her life vest on at the beach but couldn't go any deeper.  Those rules had to quickly change when K. didn't want to go near the water and A. only wanted in the water.  What is a safety conscious mother to do?  Pray that the life vest works.  A. was fantastic, not wading farther than her calves and swimming all over the pool with the life vest.  So, a fish and a beached whale (well, maybe he's not that big) is the story for now.  

goodbye best friend

This is a first for A. that I would have rather put off for a long long while.  Her first best friend, R., is moving.  This sweet sweet relationship has been so interesting to watch.  We first met at church about a year and a half ago.  The girls were playing well in the church nursery and so we decided to schedule a play date.  Not only did the girls do really well together, but J., best friend's mom, and I became fast friends.  We work in similar professions, make many of the same choices with raising our kids, and have had really awesome conversations.  

At a puppet show in November

Apparently, R.'s first ice cream cone

 The girls are a lot alike and so they've had some difficulties, well being friends.  There was a time that we actually had to give them stickers for being nice to each other.  We would hear, "Mommy she's sitting too close to me."  "Mommy, she took my b.ah blah blah."  But, the sticker's worked and they learned to be really good friends.

They actually called each other on the phone and I count it as A.'s first friend phone call.
A.:  Hi
R:  Hi
silence

They have encouraged each other or, we have used them to push each other in a good way.  A. finally tucked her head underwater after she knew that R. did it at swimming lessons.  R. took off her training wheels and succeeded after we told her that A. tried it.

To commemorate the end of this relationship, we went on a mother daughter date to paint ceramics so they could have something tangible as a memory.  These girls were so sweet!

Painting hands, A. put hers on the bottom of her new cereal bowl.  R. painted a horse

Look how different they look in the same pose 6 months later

Tonight, we had both family's together for dinner.  A. made R. a friendship bracelet that was actually so big that it turned into a friendship necklace.  As they were leaving, A. said, I put a R. on mine so I would remember her.  I said, "Did you put an A. on hers for her to remember."  Then, she cried, "No, I put an R. on her's too.  I forgot to remember myself."

Sweet, sweet family, we will miss you guys so much.  R. will always have a special place in my heart as A.'s best friend.  We wish nothing but the best for you guys and, we'll send you an A. in the mail!

nothing but a blue dress on

A. has a favorite "sparkly" dress.  This dress was bought at a consignment sale last year and it is the second season that she has worn this dress.  It has already been sewn back together by my very favorite seamstress, Mrs. Higgins, and can now only be hand washed.  None of these things stop A. from donning this dress daily.  It has traveled to OK, PA, NC, MD, and VA (that is more states than some people travel in a lifetime); it makes an appearance at most big events.

Preschool performance:

Her class sang the Pizza Song, Up with People, and Twinkle, Twinkle Little star.

A. with her teachers Ms. Molly and Mrs. Dyer.  I love her face here.  It is actually pretty perfect as I think she spends more time trying to be the teacher than playing with her friends.

The "sparkly dress" in all it's glory

concert funny:  One of the other classes sang a song called "the rules of the classroom"  A. kept singing "dabrills debrills debrills in the classroom" every night at home.  We asked her what she was singing and she said, "Debrills means classroom in spanish"  We didn't realize she wasn't telling the truth until we heard the other classroom singing the real words.

Here is the same dress on vacation day 1

 And... Vacation day 3

sitting is hard

 These boys are great at sitting, walking, and even running.  But, sitting in chairs is a totally different experience.  At first, I thought that K. was crazy that he couldn't figure out this chair.  However, it's apparently natural to approach a chair from the front and try to climb in as they both tried in the same manner.

climbing in 

on his way

"hhmmm, this isn't right."

"This still isn't right."

They finally got it right

"Now what do I do."

YAY!!

lucky lucky great grand children

I have been on a bit of a blogging hiatus.  This came from no other reason except that, we've been too busy for me to sit at a computer.  B. has been to 7 states in 2 months while we have designed our new house, I have started a new job, my parents moved out of my childhood house, and we have 2 kids to tend to on a daily basis.  But, now we don't really have anymore plans for the summer.  Well except that it is summer (almost) and I'm married to a golf course superintendent. I've got a ton of blogs to roll out over the next few weeks so stay tuned!!

This first blog actually was started when we visited B.'s grandparents in PA on May 3-5.  I feel so blessed that my children have met 7/9 of their great grand parents.  They have real, memorable relationships with 4 of their great grandparents. They talk on the phone, send cards, and have visited each of them.  As we went to small town PA, I felt especially blessed.  How many people have great grandparents that do this...

S

Showing A. an earthworm.  She started in her typical scaredy cat manner.  However, with his coercion, she touched the worm, then , finally, held it.

OR this...

 Or this

Nanny taught K. how to blow dandelions.  Now, he stops to pick one and blow on it every time we see one.  

 Most definitely don't have great grandparents that do this.  Maybe, just maybe, this is why he has had 3 compression fractures in his spine.  But, that never stopped this 83 year old before.  Soooo lucky!

 Finally, Pappy took A. on her first fishing trip just as the many many pictures of him with B. fishing when he was little.  I was surprised at her patience (and theirs too for that matter).  She wasn't into it at the beginning but once Pappy caught one fish, she tried for awhile.  She got really close to the 2 fish that they caught but wouldn't touch them.  She almost caught one of her own but said, "I scareded one away and one stole my worm."