Me: "Ladybug, are you making it stinky in here?"
Her: "no."
Me: "are you sure? I think it was you."
Her: "um, no."
Me: "Ladybug, do you have bum gas?"
Her: "...not anymore!"
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Quote of the day
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
our trip south
This weekend took us zipping down the road, heading south for a few days at my Grandma's house. We made it 40 minutes before we stopped to pick up Grammy and then stalled for three hours with some truck trouble. We were towing our trailer with our new truck and being its first time, had to make some adjusts as we learned how the truck would manage. Fortunately my husband is very clever and handy and after some TLC, the truck did find for the rest of the weekend. Meanwhile, Grammy and I took the girls into KMart to kill some time (and had a fantastic time perusing all the little girl clothes on sale) and then wandered over to the McDonalds PlayPlace. This particular PlayPlace was amazing! There was a giant piano keyboard for the kids to dance on, each step playing the corresponding note. There was a giant guitar they could climb on (and strum) and an organ with a slide (best sound effects ever!) So fun.
The drive itself was the usual, girls watching movies, napping, snacking and teasing each other. We stopped occasionally to let them run and eventually arrived at our destination long after bedtime and settled in quickly.
Saturday was a great day. The girls got plenty of time to play and show off. Ladybug wanted to "tell stories", which were long and rambling with no logical plot but tons of animated facial expressions and sound effects. Butterfly sang some of her preschool songs and danced. Lovely ran around in circles, chasing the dogs, fetching their toys, hosting tea parties, sneaking snacks and best of all, dancing while she looked at us expectantly, waiting for us to imitate her jerky, awkward, and adorable toddler moves.
Husband and I helped GrandmaGreat (as my girls call her) with some projects around the house. (He worked hard and productively all weekend. I helped when I could and bounced back and forth between the projects and the kids. Grammy watched the girls and the girls entertained GrandmaGreat.) We went to a pizza buffet at lunchtime (the girls' new favorite was the Chicken Ranch pizza) and had a picnic with burgers at the park for dinner.
We slept in our trailer, much to the girls delight. Every night, Daddy would tuck them into their sleeping bags and let them watch a movie so they could unwind and settle down for bed. They love our trailer and slept great each night. Husband and I also slept in the trailer while Lovely joined Grammy in the house in a spare bedroom. She's normally my best sleeper but tends to be more restless in new places so she was up early every morning.
On Sunday we attended church and my beautiful little girls were charming as ever. We got some great family pictures afterwards and then they played with new bubble toys. One of the weekend highlights was our visit to the cemetery. The girls were eager to help GrandmaGreat retrieve the flowers from storage and carried them proudly to their various destinations. Lovely was eager to explore the headstones and plentiful flowers and flags but the older girls stayed close, wanting to hear about the many family members resting there, most especially my two siblings lost as babies.
We visited family at the nursing home, a relative I don't know personally, but went with GrandmaGreat on her usual visit to say hello. The girls were happy and cheerful, introducing themselves and singing one of their favorite preschool songs. The stood holding hands (so adorable), and then even Lovely joined in, scampering up to their side, joining hands and chirping along on the only word the knew ("..sun!...sun!...sun!") What wonderful kids I have!
That evening, the girls begged to share their favorite movie with GrandmaGreat, Princess Genovia (better known as Princess Diaries). We put the movie on but the girls watched very little of it. The pulled out the set of Minnie Mouse figurines and played the entire time, dressing them up, attending parties, dances, balls, school and more. They were playing exceptionally well together, being so cute. So now joined by my Aunt, GrandmaGreat, Grammy, Daddy and I watched both them and the movie for a wonderful, thoroughly enjoyable evening.
On Monday morning, we finished a few jobs around the house and then Grammy took the girls to the park while GrandmaGreat took Husband, my Aunt and I on a ride on the four wheelers. We drove up to a beautiful overlook, admiring the growing town and gorgeous landscape. Then we explored some new trails, getting a little lost and having a great time as we found our way back to town.
And then before long, we were packed, cleaned up and loaded into the car for the long drive home.
The drive itself was the usual, girls watching movies, napping, snacking and teasing each other. We stopped occasionally to let them run and eventually arrived at our destination long after bedtime and settled in quickly.
Saturday was a great day. The girls got plenty of time to play and show off. Ladybug wanted to "tell stories", which were long and rambling with no logical plot but tons of animated facial expressions and sound effects. Butterfly sang some of her preschool songs and danced. Lovely ran around in circles, chasing the dogs, fetching their toys, hosting tea parties, sneaking snacks and best of all, dancing while she looked at us expectantly, waiting for us to imitate her jerky, awkward, and adorable toddler moves.
Husband and I helped GrandmaGreat (as my girls call her) with some projects around the house. (He worked hard and productively all weekend. I helped when I could and bounced back and forth between the projects and the kids. Grammy watched the girls and the girls entertained GrandmaGreat.) We went to a pizza buffet at lunchtime (the girls' new favorite was the Chicken Ranch pizza) and had a picnic with burgers at the park for dinner.
We slept in our trailer, much to the girls delight. Every night, Daddy would tuck them into their sleeping bags and let them watch a movie so they could unwind and settle down for bed. They love our trailer and slept great each night. Husband and I also slept in the trailer while Lovely joined Grammy in the house in a spare bedroom. She's normally my best sleeper but tends to be more restless in new places so she was up early every morning.
On Sunday we attended church and my beautiful little girls were charming as ever. We got some great family pictures afterwards and then they played with new bubble toys. One of the weekend highlights was our visit to the cemetery. The girls were eager to help GrandmaGreat retrieve the flowers from storage and carried them proudly to their various destinations. Lovely was eager to explore the headstones and plentiful flowers and flags but the older girls stayed close, wanting to hear about the many family members resting there, most especially my two siblings lost as babies.
We visited family at the nursing home, a relative I don't know personally, but went with GrandmaGreat on her usual visit to say hello. The girls were happy and cheerful, introducing themselves and singing one of their favorite preschool songs. The stood holding hands (so adorable), and then even Lovely joined in, scampering up to their side, joining hands and chirping along on the only word the knew ("..sun!...sun!...sun!") What wonderful kids I have!
That evening, the girls begged to share their favorite movie with GrandmaGreat, Princess Genovia (better known as Princess Diaries). We put the movie on but the girls watched very little of it. The pulled out the set of Minnie Mouse figurines and played the entire time, dressing them up, attending parties, dances, balls, school and more. They were playing exceptionally well together, being so cute. So now joined by my Aunt, GrandmaGreat, Grammy, Daddy and I watched both them and the movie for a wonderful, thoroughly enjoyable evening.
On Monday morning, we finished a few jobs around the house and then Grammy took the girls to the park while GrandmaGreat took Husband, my Aunt and I on a ride on the four wheelers. We drove up to a beautiful overlook, admiring the growing town and gorgeous landscape. Then we explored some new trails, getting a little lost and having a great time as we found our way back to town.
And then before long, we were packed, cleaned up and loaded into the car for the long drive home.
Thursday, May 23, 2013
school's out
We dashed from dance auditions to preschool graduation. It was held at the library and was such a fun celebration. Little Butterfly, dressed in her pretty red dress, with her beautiful curls dancing on her shoulders stood on stage with her class. They sang several songs that they've learned in school and each student have a brief speaking part. They named many of the things they've learned or projects they've done and Butterfly said "Our future looks bright thanks to parents like you." Daddy and Grandma helped juggle Ladybug and Lovely in the audience while I filmed the program. Lovely was rambunctious and wanted to play, but perked up and watched intently every time they sang. Ladybug happily pointed out her sister to everyone around her in the audience.
My favorite part was the presentation of the children, called forward one by one (while the graduation song played in the background). They wore a fun graduation cap, flat on top but decorated with a row of paper crayons on the sides. They each came to the microphone to declare, "when I grow up, I want to be..." There were doctors and teachers and cowboys and the most applause went to a friend's son who wants to be a soldier for the United States. But my sweet, precocious, silly little girl, pranced dainty across the stage, primly hold her skirt out in front of her, "when I grow up, I want to be a real princess!" and then swept into a dramatic but graceful curtsy, winning herself bursts of laughter and applause from the audience. Such a sweet girl, so innocent and adorable. And I had no idea that's what she was going to say.
After graduation, we hugged, took pictures, looked at her art projects and bid farewell to friends. We went to dinner to celebrate and tucked our little girls into bed to get a good night's sleep before their last day of school.
As an special treat, Daddy dropped them off at school today (while I taught a class). And then Daddy, Grandma and I attended the brief end-of-year program at Ladybug's school, (following their class party with cupcakes and outside games). They sang a few songs that they've been working on and then good bye to friends and their teacher. Then we picked up Butterfly, who also had a class party today, with pizza and games.
So I brought my happy little girls home, finished with a whole year of preschool and ready for summer fun.
My favorite part was the presentation of the children, called forward one by one (while the graduation song played in the background). They wore a fun graduation cap, flat on top but decorated with a row of paper crayons on the sides. They each came to the microphone to declare, "when I grow up, I want to be..." There were doctors and teachers and cowboys and the most applause went to a friend's son who wants to be a soldier for the United States. But my sweet, precocious, silly little girl, pranced dainty across the stage, primly hold her skirt out in front of her, "when I grow up, I want to be a real princess!" and then swept into a dramatic but graceful curtsy, winning herself bursts of laughter and applause from the audience. Such a sweet girl, so innocent and adorable. And I had no idea that's what she was going to say.
After graduation, we hugged, took pictures, looked at her art projects and bid farewell to friends. We went to dinner to celebrate and tucked our little girls into bed to get a good night's sleep before their last day of school.
As an special treat, Daddy dropped them off at school today (while I taught a class). And then Daddy, Grandma and I attended the brief end-of-year program at Ladybug's school, (following their class party with cupcakes and outside games). They sang a few songs that they've been working on and then good bye to friends and their teacher. Then we picked up Butterfly, who also had a class party today, with pizza and games.
So I brought my happy little girls home, finished with a whole year of preschool and ready for summer fun.
ballet
Last weekend was the girls' ballet recital. Friday afternoon was dress rehearsal. The girls took their turns on the stage while I stood in the "mom zone", filming at the edge of the stage. Lovely pattered around, exploring and making friends. She especially loved playing on the steps to the far side of the stage.
And Saturday was the performance. The show's theme was "Peter Pan" and loosely followed the storyline with the appearance of characters. Ladybug's class performed just before intermission, after we had arrived in Neverland. She was a skunk, and easily the cutest skunk ever. Their costumes were black and white, with puffy tutus, lacy ruffles on the shoulders and a giant red bow just above her "tail". Their dance was adorable, more of a character production piece than ballet. So they danced, shaking their tails and acting out the song. She did fantastic! She didn't do all of the steps and was usually watching her classmates to follow behind them. But she was grinning and happy and always bouncing to the beat. Butterfly performed several numbers later, after intermission. (The nice part about that was she got to watch the first half, including her sister. Then they traded at intermission.) She was part of the Tiger Lily dance, dressed as an Indian maiden. Their costumes were a sparkly tan color, accented with glittering red and bright teal, complete with fringe under the arms and a headband with a feather in their hair. She was amazing. Her toes were perfectly pointed, her moves were deliberately and gracefully performed. The dance was not particularly hard or technical but she was still impressive and looked like she was having the time of her life. She's been practicing at home and begging nearly everyday for three weeks to it to be time for the recital.
Afterwards, we gave them roses (which Butterfly latched onto proudly, looking down at them serenly as if posing for a picture) and ballerina barbies. Then we went to Cafe Rio to celebrate, went shopping to pick out a special souvenir (Ladybug picked out a TinkerBell necklace and Butterfly picked out pink Mickey earrings, thanks Grammy!) and ran errands.
One of the instructors at the school encouraged me to consider having Butterfly audition for a competition team, in addition to her ballet class. I suspected they say that to all the parents but took it as a compliment. However, I asked her teacher what class she recommends for Butterfly to take next year and I was surprised by the sincerity and conviction in her response, saying she has "exceptional ballet feet", that she is "particularly good for her age". She urged me to keep her in ballet, plus have her try another class too, such as jazz or tap to "continue developing her talent". I asked her what she thought of the competition team,considering how young she is and she thought it was a great idea, saying that especially with her personality, she would really enjoy it. So after trying to find out more about the time commitment, costs, etc. we've decided to attend the audition. She went to the audition workshop yesterday and learned a ballet combination as well as a jazz combination (which she kept calling "the boxing one", not that it looks anything like boxing, but I think she's just got that word stuck in her head from my teaching classes). The ballet piece was to the Little Mermaid and the jazz piece was Minnie Mouse, both fun dances with great instructors. I really liked that she got to see and compare the two styles of dance. I'm trying hard to make sure it's what she wants to do, letting it be her choice. So after she got to see and compare, she told me that she loves each of them and was thrilled when I told her she can do both. She did great in the workshop, learning the ballet one quickly, with her perfectly pointed toes. She seemed a little frustrated during the jazz combination, perhaps she was getting tired or didn't like how fast it was at first. But she was happy when they performed them at the end of the class. And today she told me again how much she loved the dancing and happily went to auditions this evening. I didn't get to watch very much since I was outside with sisters. They performed the numbers several times, in different groups of dancers and from what I did see, she seemed to be having fun and making friends. Her teachers are so cute and amazingly patient and animated for the young kids. We find out the official team list in a few days and will see what happens. Maybe the teachers will suggest she just takes classes for another year without the added competition team. Or maybe she will be the newest (and youngest) member of "The Sparkles".
As for Ladybug, she had fun in her Creative Movement class but we've decided not to continue into the ballet classes. She likes playing and moving but didn't like rehearsing. She might do better with something like gymnastics or soccer, something that is a little more high energy. So for next year, we chose her preschool program carefully. We love the school that Butterfly attended, having chose it because we felt it was the most academically challenging for her bright mind. But for Ladybug, she's got so much energy and curiosity that we feel like she will benefit more from a different program, which is actually part of the dance studio. They will do most of the same academics, but include a tumbling class or a karate class each day. Plus we opted for the third day a week which is entirely art and music. I think this will be a better experience for her, letting her energy be an asset, rather than a distraction as she learns. Plus she will get to try karate and gymnastics, which may be a better fit than dance. And because the preschool is part of the dance studio, she will still get to perform in the winter and spring recitals (with her preschool class, instead of a dance class).
Of course, this is all planning for fall, three months away and they seem to be growing and changing so fast that we may have a whole new plan by then. (knock on wood)
And Saturday was the performance. The show's theme was "Peter Pan" and loosely followed the storyline with the appearance of characters. Ladybug's class performed just before intermission, after we had arrived in Neverland. She was a skunk, and easily the cutest skunk ever. Their costumes were black and white, with puffy tutus, lacy ruffles on the shoulders and a giant red bow just above her "tail". Their dance was adorable, more of a character production piece than ballet. So they danced, shaking their tails and acting out the song. She did fantastic! She didn't do all of the steps and was usually watching her classmates to follow behind them. But she was grinning and happy and always bouncing to the beat. Butterfly performed several numbers later, after intermission. (The nice part about that was she got to watch the first half, including her sister. Then they traded at intermission.) She was part of the Tiger Lily dance, dressed as an Indian maiden. Their costumes were a sparkly tan color, accented with glittering red and bright teal, complete with fringe under the arms and a headband with a feather in their hair. She was amazing. Her toes were perfectly pointed, her moves were deliberately and gracefully performed. The dance was not particularly hard or technical but she was still impressive and looked like she was having the time of her life. She's been practicing at home and begging nearly everyday for three weeks to it to be time for the recital.
Afterwards, we gave them roses (which Butterfly latched onto proudly, looking down at them serenly as if posing for a picture) and ballerina barbies. Then we went to Cafe Rio to celebrate, went shopping to pick out a special souvenir (Ladybug picked out a TinkerBell necklace and Butterfly picked out pink Mickey earrings, thanks Grammy!) and ran errands.
One of the instructors at the school encouraged me to consider having Butterfly audition for a competition team, in addition to her ballet class. I suspected they say that to all the parents but took it as a compliment. However, I asked her teacher what class she recommends for Butterfly to take next year and I was surprised by the sincerity and conviction in her response, saying she has "exceptional ballet feet", that she is "particularly good for her age". She urged me to keep her in ballet, plus have her try another class too, such as jazz or tap to "continue developing her talent". I asked her what she thought of the competition team,considering how young she is and she thought it was a great idea, saying that especially with her personality, she would really enjoy it. So after trying to find out more about the time commitment, costs, etc. we've decided to attend the audition. She went to the audition workshop yesterday and learned a ballet combination as well as a jazz combination (which she kept calling "the boxing one", not that it looks anything like boxing, but I think she's just got that word stuck in her head from my teaching classes). The ballet piece was to the Little Mermaid and the jazz piece was Minnie Mouse, both fun dances with great instructors. I really liked that she got to see and compare the two styles of dance. I'm trying hard to make sure it's what she wants to do, letting it be her choice. So after she got to see and compare, she told me that she loves each of them and was thrilled when I told her she can do both. She did great in the workshop, learning the ballet one quickly, with her perfectly pointed toes. She seemed a little frustrated during the jazz combination, perhaps she was getting tired or didn't like how fast it was at first. But she was happy when they performed them at the end of the class. And today she told me again how much she loved the dancing and happily went to auditions this evening. I didn't get to watch very much since I was outside with sisters. They performed the numbers several times, in different groups of dancers and from what I did see, she seemed to be having fun and making friends. Her teachers are so cute and amazingly patient and animated for the young kids. We find out the official team list in a few days and will see what happens. Maybe the teachers will suggest she just takes classes for another year without the added competition team. Or maybe she will be the newest (and youngest) member of "The Sparkles".
As for Ladybug, she had fun in her Creative Movement class but we've decided not to continue into the ballet classes. She likes playing and moving but didn't like rehearsing. She might do better with something like gymnastics or soccer, something that is a little more high energy. So for next year, we chose her preschool program carefully. We love the school that Butterfly attended, having chose it because we felt it was the most academically challenging for her bright mind. But for Ladybug, she's got so much energy and curiosity that we feel like she will benefit more from a different program, which is actually part of the dance studio. They will do most of the same academics, but include a tumbling class or a karate class each day. Plus we opted for the third day a week which is entirely art and music. I think this will be a better experience for her, letting her energy be an asset, rather than a distraction as she learns. Plus she will get to try karate and gymnastics, which may be a better fit than dance. And because the preschool is part of the dance studio, she will still get to perform in the winter and spring recitals (with her preschool class, instead of a dance class).
Of course, this is all planning for fall, three months away and they seem to be growing and changing so fast that we may have a whole new plan by then. (knock on wood)
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
my big girl
Recently, my sweet little Lovely, my perfect tiny baby, has decided she's a big kid. For the past three weeks, Daddy has been on the road for work, coming home on weekends. So maybe I paid even more attention than usual, not wanting him to miss a thing. But during that time...
-she gave up her binky. entirely.
-overnight, decided she also would not be drinking from a bottle anymore.
-and that she doesn't like sippy cups either. So we are slowly working on using a cup. she's getting better at it. Slowly. Meanwhile, watch out for spills.
-she's very insistent about getting to wear her shoes everyday. And I'm not very good at remembering since I always carry her to the car.
-she does not WANT me to carry her anymore. She wants to run with her sisters. She lets me insist on holding hands in the street but if I try to carry her, she will scream and thrash and beg.
-she's talking up a storm lately. I love hearing her jabber slowly turn to recognizable speech and am so impressed with her vocabulary. Her sisters didn't talk much at this age, probably because of the need for tubes in their ears. So Lovely has been a fun adventure.
-she dances. rhythmically bending her knees or twirling in circles.
-she wants to brush her teeth every night with the big girls.
-she decided she doesn't need a high chair and wants to sit at the bar. like the big girls.
-she loves to wear her overalls so she can shove her tiny fists deep into her pockets.
-her hair is long enough for pig tails. not just the two antennas on top, but actual pigtails.
-she's began actually watching the tv, engaged by the program.
-she started doing "cheers!"
-she's saying Ladybug's name with perfect clarity. But instead of Butterfly's name, she calls her "sister" most of the time. she hates to be left out and frequently asks "where's sisters?"
silly little things? yes. making me feel like she's growing too fast? yes.
**added later.
Less than 24 hours, she's given even more evidence.
-while I assumed she was taking a nap, she managed to strip herself naked, including diaper and pee in her crib.
-she found Daddy's old cell phone and claimed it as her own.
-right now she's sweetly and tenderly caring for her baby, putting her to bed, wrapping her in blankets, patting and kissing her
-she's wearing jeans, a tshirt and tennis shoes. funny how the little things make such a difference.
quote of the day
I'm sure sure when it started actually. But we've joked about it since she was a tiny baby. For some reason, Ladybug is my lucky charm when it comes to parking. I always find the BEST spots, right near the front, everytime she is in the car.
So now we tease her, "okay Ladybug, where should we park?" As we pull into the parking lot, she puts her index finger to her chin, "hmm, hmm, hmm, maybe...maybe..." and just as I pull into a spot, "right here!"
So now we tease her, "okay Ladybug, where should we park?" As we pull into the parking lot, she puts her index finger to her chin, "hmm, hmm, hmm, maybe...maybe..." and just as I pull into a spot, "right here!"
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
keeping him posted
I try to send texts to Daddy throughout the day, telling him of our little adventures or quick photos. I reason that it helps him not miss out on so much. But really, it might be so that he will miss us so much that he hurries home faster. Anyway, just in the last 24 hours, these are some of the gems I have sent...
Ladybug came up to me, cupped my chin, smiled sweetly, whispered "come here you!", nuzzled my cheek and then kissed me on the lips. Rather romantic really. We might want to curb that.
Butterfly was calling to tell you about our ride tonight. She rode her bike, I ran with the stroller, 2.5 miles. But we did stop for ice cream.
*a picture of Butterfly grinning, cuddling on my lap, captioned "movie time cuddle!" and
*a picture of Ladybug sound asleep on the couch, captioned "movie time, not so much."
*a picture of Butterfly asleep in her bed, a picture of Ladybug asleep in my bed, a picture of Lovely grinning and playing peek a boo in her bed
We are playing Christmas morning. We got our very own house. And books. And shoes. (priorities, rights?)
...And then we captured Santa Clause.
*a picture of Lovely happily attacking the balloon she stole during storytime today, captioned "B'loon!"
Ladybug wrote me a Valentine's card today. She read it to me, "dear mom and dad, I would like to go camping because I love camping. Please take us camping in the trailer and I love camping."
I was pretending to eat Butterfly. Ladybug freaked out, "Please don't eat my sister! She's my sister! and I call her sister. And she calls me sister back. And I can't lose her because I love my sister."
*a picture of a beaming Lovely drinking from a cup in her high chair, captioned "no more bottles for me dad!"
Just before bed, Ladybug asked me, "can I keep you? cause we're a forever family yknow."
Monday, May 13, 2013
unusual friends
For the past few weeks, Ladybug has talked about a certain friend. But it's taken me awhile to figure out who it is since she doesn't have a name. Plus, Ladybug talks about her in the same way she says a lot of things, short little blurbs, tossed over her shoulder and then she's onto something else before I can process what she said. I assumed she was another imaginary friend. (After all, this is the kid who has a friend that is a penguin that wears a green necklace.) This particular friend likes to play outside but can't come in the house. Sometimes she's big and sometimes she's small and sometimes Ladybug can't find her. And once, she got stolen by Auntie R who gave her to Peter Pan. Any guesses? It's her shadow. And they have marvelous adventures together, talking and singing together on the swings or riding scooters.
Lovely's new favorite friend is her reflection. She smiles and grins at her, and insists on giving her knuckles each morning. She is so adorable!
Lovely's new favorite friend is her reflection. She smiles and grins at her, and insists on giving her knuckles each morning. She is so adorable!
a wow weekend
This last weekend was especially full of crazy fun excitement. Mostly because it was filled with special occasion celebrations.
Daddy returned home from another week long business trip late Thursday night (more accurately, Friday morning). So after a few hours of sleep, little girls came trotting in to say good morning and were shocked and thrilled to see Daddy asleep in his bed. They pounced on him, eager for cuddles and loves. And then our weekend began.
Friday was the Law School graduation at U of U and one of these esteemed graduates was husband's kid sister. So we readied for the day, dressing in red and went to support and congratulate. The girls' favorite part was the shuttle bus that picked us up from the parking lot and took us to the graduation ceremony. The graduation itself was a blur of speakers, including lists of accomplishments, inside jokes that we didn't get and inspirational thoughts, followed by a long line of triumphant new lawyers dressed proudly in their black and red robes, ready to accept the dean's handshake. Afterwards we celebrated an played on the lawn. Kid Sister bounced happily, hugging family and friends while my little girls played with their cousin and made friends with other nearby children. We briefly attended the Law School's reception (mostly to steal cookies) and then made the short walk across campus back to our car. Soon, we arrived at the Open House that Husband's mom had arranged to honor kid sister (hence forth to be known as "Kid Sister, JD", just as she dubbed him "Dr. Dude Bro"). The food was plentiful and tasty as we sat around talking, reminiscing and congratulating. The girls helped themselves to the generous candy buffet as well as the coloring books and activities that Grandma provided for them. Eventually, we loaded the girls into the car, said our final congrats and headed north to meet up with my parents.
We met my parents to give them our kids who would be spending the night with them. The ended up swimming all evening, staying up late and swimming again in the morning. It sounds like they had a blast and even little Lovely is now a "banzai! master". Meanwhile, Husband and I went on a date. First we met some friends for dinner at Tenpanyaki. We talked and laughed our way through steaks and sushi with some of my very favorite people in the world before continuing on to the theater. We've been waiting to use the tickets that arrived in our stockings on Christmas morning, and would finally get to see Les Miserable. It's Husband's favorite show and a perfect choice to kick off celebrating his birthday which would be the next morning. The show was amazing. In fact, both of us have seen it several times (including in London and New York) and this was my favorite. The delivery was so clear that not a single event or conversation got muddled. The talent was spectacular, especially the men, and it was such an incredible, impressive and powerful experience with a greater depth and understanding that I've ever had with that show.
The next morning started very early but happily so because we were going birthday boarding. Husband has been snowboarding on his birthday for the past two decades and even though the snow gets slushy or icy by May, it's a special occasion and great experience. But it's one that I have missed for six years now with the arrivals of our girls. So I was particularly happy to join. We started with a beautiful photo op at the top of the mountain before we split up. Husband had invited one of his best friends to go with us, so the two of them went racing off while Grandpa and I took our time down the mountain. He patiently waited for me to relearn the motions on our first run and we slowly picked up speed throughout the day (fortunately not having to keep up with the pros!). Husband and his friend usually fit in two runs to our one but we managed to meet up at the bottom a few times. We had a great time and Grandpa and I managed to find some fresh trails that were particularly fun. Despite the very warm weather, it was still a great day of boarding. (even with the brief mishap which resulted in a stop at the clinic for stitches on the way home for our friend).
We drove from the mountain and went north to meet my parents again and retrieve our cute kids. They were thrilled to see Daddy again and shower him with birthday kisses. Butterfly had begged to make him a chocolate cake for his birthday, but seeing that we were short on time, we stopped at picked out a dessert at the store instead. We arrived home to join the party where Husband's parents, kid sister (JD) and his brother and his family were waiting for us to kick off a bbq. Husband, as grill master, went work on the steaks and veggies we had picked out and soon we feasted. The girls were thrilled to play with their little cousin, just younger than our Ladybug and cooed over the baby, just a few months old. We played, lounged and relaxed. Eventually we dove into dessert, presents and a bedtime movie.
The next morning, Mother's Day, we took our time waking up. We knew the girls were exhausted from the weekend and eager to spend as much time with cousins as they could. So we skipped church deciding that although I wanted to hear them sing, it wasn't worth rushing cranky kids to get ready in time. Instead we played. Kid Sister and husband's brother made an amazing breakfast and the girls happily played all morning. It was a fun, noisy, chaotic blur. Husband had bought flowers, a beautiful combination of red and peach roses and then helped the girls make a beautiful gift for me! On poster board, his hand prints form the flower vase that holds little hand print blossoms, each girls' hands in a different color. So sweet and precious! Then all the girls (our and cousins) made a handprint in a book appropriately called I Love You Grandma, to give to Grandma. The celebrations were mixed with a packing frenzy as brother's family was preparing to go home to Arizona, plus Grandma, Grandpa, Kid Sister and Husband were preparing to leave for another business trip. We had a quick lunch and soon, everyone was gone. The house went from chaos to quiet in just a few minutes. Almost eerie actually, how quiet and still it was, so suddenly.
We rested for a few minutes and then piled into the car ourselves. We met my parents and sister in law (whose husband was working) for a playdate at the park and went to dinner. The girls ran and played, we leisurely talked and enjoyed the beautiful weather. The girls gave a gift to my mom, a pair of purple Mickey earrings that Butterfly declared would be perfect for Grammy.
And eventually we arrived home again, just before bedtime. I tucked the girls in, completely worn out from so much fun and celebrating. They fell asleep quickly and I wandered around the very quiet house, eventually settling into my own little indulgence: ice cream and the final episodes of the West Wing, finishing off the sitcom I've been watching the past few months a little at a time.
Congrats KidSister, Happy Birthday Husband and Happy Mother's Day to all the amazing women in our lives.
Daddy returned home from another week long business trip late Thursday night (more accurately, Friday morning). So after a few hours of sleep, little girls came trotting in to say good morning and were shocked and thrilled to see Daddy asleep in his bed. They pounced on him, eager for cuddles and loves. And then our weekend began.
Friday was the Law School graduation at U of U and one of these esteemed graduates was husband's kid sister. So we readied for the day, dressing in red and went to support and congratulate. The girls' favorite part was the shuttle bus that picked us up from the parking lot and took us to the graduation ceremony. The graduation itself was a blur of speakers, including lists of accomplishments, inside jokes that we didn't get and inspirational thoughts, followed by a long line of triumphant new lawyers dressed proudly in their black and red robes, ready to accept the dean's handshake. Afterwards we celebrated an played on the lawn. Kid Sister bounced happily, hugging family and friends while my little girls played with their cousin and made friends with other nearby children. We briefly attended the Law School's reception (mostly to steal cookies) and then made the short walk across campus back to our car. Soon, we arrived at the Open House that Husband's mom had arranged to honor kid sister (hence forth to be known as "Kid Sister, JD", just as she dubbed him "Dr. Dude Bro"). The food was plentiful and tasty as we sat around talking, reminiscing and congratulating. The girls helped themselves to the generous candy buffet as well as the coloring books and activities that Grandma provided for them. Eventually, we loaded the girls into the car, said our final congrats and headed north to meet up with my parents.
We met my parents to give them our kids who would be spending the night with them. The ended up swimming all evening, staying up late and swimming again in the morning. It sounds like they had a blast and even little Lovely is now a "banzai! master". Meanwhile, Husband and I went on a date. First we met some friends for dinner at Tenpanyaki. We talked and laughed our way through steaks and sushi with some of my very favorite people in the world before continuing on to the theater. We've been waiting to use the tickets that arrived in our stockings on Christmas morning, and would finally get to see Les Miserable. It's Husband's favorite show and a perfect choice to kick off celebrating his birthday which would be the next morning. The show was amazing. In fact, both of us have seen it several times (including in London and New York) and this was my favorite. The delivery was so clear that not a single event or conversation got muddled. The talent was spectacular, especially the men, and it was such an incredible, impressive and powerful experience with a greater depth and understanding that I've ever had with that show.
The next morning started very early but happily so because we were going birthday boarding. Husband has been snowboarding on his birthday for the past two decades and even though the snow gets slushy or icy by May, it's a special occasion and great experience. But it's one that I have missed for six years now with the arrivals of our girls. So I was particularly happy to join. We started with a beautiful photo op at the top of the mountain before we split up. Husband had invited one of his best friends to go with us, so the two of them went racing off while Grandpa and I took our time down the mountain. He patiently waited for me to relearn the motions on our first run and we slowly picked up speed throughout the day (fortunately not having to keep up with the pros!). Husband and his friend usually fit in two runs to our one but we managed to meet up at the bottom a few times. We had a great time and Grandpa and I managed to find some fresh trails that were particularly fun. Despite the very warm weather, it was still a great day of boarding. (even with the brief mishap which resulted in a stop at the clinic for stitches on the way home for our friend).
We drove from the mountain and went north to meet my parents again and retrieve our cute kids. They were thrilled to see Daddy again and shower him with birthday kisses. Butterfly had begged to make him a chocolate cake for his birthday, but seeing that we were short on time, we stopped at picked out a dessert at the store instead. We arrived home to join the party where Husband's parents, kid sister (JD) and his brother and his family were waiting for us to kick off a bbq. Husband, as grill master, went work on the steaks and veggies we had picked out and soon we feasted. The girls were thrilled to play with their little cousin, just younger than our Ladybug and cooed over the baby, just a few months old. We played, lounged and relaxed. Eventually we dove into dessert, presents and a bedtime movie.
The next morning, Mother's Day, we took our time waking up. We knew the girls were exhausted from the weekend and eager to spend as much time with cousins as they could. So we skipped church deciding that although I wanted to hear them sing, it wasn't worth rushing cranky kids to get ready in time. Instead we played. Kid Sister and husband's brother made an amazing breakfast and the girls happily played all morning. It was a fun, noisy, chaotic blur. Husband had bought flowers, a beautiful combination of red and peach roses and then helped the girls make a beautiful gift for me! On poster board, his hand prints form the flower vase that holds little hand print blossoms, each girls' hands in a different color. So sweet and precious! Then all the girls (our and cousins) made a handprint in a book appropriately called I Love You Grandma, to give to Grandma. The celebrations were mixed with a packing frenzy as brother's family was preparing to go home to Arizona, plus Grandma, Grandpa, Kid Sister and Husband were preparing to leave for another business trip. We had a quick lunch and soon, everyone was gone. The house went from chaos to quiet in just a few minutes. Almost eerie actually, how quiet and still it was, so suddenly.
We rested for a few minutes and then piled into the car ourselves. We met my parents and sister in law (whose husband was working) for a playdate at the park and went to dinner. The girls ran and played, we leisurely talked and enjoyed the beautiful weather. The girls gave a gift to my mom, a pair of purple Mickey earrings that Butterfly declared would be perfect for Grammy.
And eventually we arrived home again, just before bedtime. I tucked the girls in, completely worn out from so much fun and celebrating. They fell asleep quickly and I wandered around the very quiet house, eventually settling into my own little indulgence: ice cream and the final episodes of the West Wing, finishing off the sitcom I've been watching the past few months a little at a time.
Congrats KidSister, Happy Birthday Husband and Happy Mother's Day to all the amazing women in our lives.
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
they make me crazy
I was text chatting with my kid sister tonight (who I love like crazy and miss SO much). I was telling her about some recent antics of my girls and got to listing some of their more...peculiar habits. Or "quirks" perhaps. and sometimes, rather obnoxious behaviors. Which made me think about how I often write about our adventures, treasuring their sweetness and brushing over the downright maddening chaos they can cause. Thus, "why my children make me crazy".
My oldest, my sweet little Butterfly.
--She is genuine, affectionate, caring, sincere, friendly and so brilliant. She is also fiercely competitive and a huge drama queen. If she doesn't win, she more often than not, will burst into tears. It doesn't matter if it's CandyLand, or "who got their seatbelt on first".
--Her brilliance mean endless questions. She does not accept "Because it is." Which is good. And exhausting.
--She's so considerate. She watches out for others, inviting a child to play if they get left out. But she tends to be over bearing, and can be super bossy. Most particular, with Lovely, picking her up, smothering her, forcing her to do things. It does not end well.
--If she doesn't get her way, she runs away and flings herself onto her bed, sobbing. I thought I had a few more years before that level of drama.
--She's a precious, graceful little princess. Who HATES to be dirty.
--When she's so mad that she starts to cry (which is usually), she screams in a way that make me wonder why I haven't gone gray yet. Or deaf. Seriously? How can a kid have such an obnoxious cry? It's forced and ear-piercing and so irritating. It's her angry-and-I'll-let-you-know-it cry. Most of the time, she's an amazing kid. But she can throw EPIC tantrums.
--She's exceptionally talented in many ways. But if she doesn't get it right the first time, she gets angry and stubborn and refuses to try again.
--Serious sweet tooth. I understand, I really do. But I tire of the begging. and the sneaking. or the manipulating sisters to ask when I've already told her no.
My wonderful, impish little Ladybug.
--SO stubborn. yep, that pretty much covers it.
--She's got an incredible imagination. I'm not an expert but compared to her peers, she seems particularly amazing. Her pretend play is so detailed, down to consistently unlocking and locking a door to the imaginary house or cracking eggs and throwing away the eggs shells in an under-the-sink-trashcan before she can mix the cookies. The problem is, most of us don't share her extraordinary gift for detail. And she gets impatient (not mad but impatient) if we "mess up". This goes hand-in-hand with her long-time tendency to be a little OCD. She likes things a very certain way and can drive me nuts with her insistence.
--She insists on wearing her shoes on the wrong feet. She has "flip flops" and "tapping shoes". And adamantly corrects me if I call them sandals or tennis shoes.
--One word: "Mom....mom....mom....mom....mom....mom....mom...." WITH NOTHING TO FOLLOW.
--She won't make eye contact. I don't think it's belligerence. She just doesn't do it. I can hold her chin, put my face inches away and ask her to look at my eyes. Her eyes will nervously dart around, avoiding mine. This makes discipline even more difficult. We have not yet found what works best for her. She shrugs off punishments and isn't very motivated by rewards. She regularly gets in trouble for the same things over and over. I can patiently explain a rule to her but it only sticks in her head about four minutes.
--When she wants affection, she wants to be touch. She wants to cuddle on my lap (which usually I love, but sometimes find smothering). Or Daddy gets the worst of it at the dinner table when she begs to sit next to him and then won't stop touching him. Or I guess I should say that his shirt sleeves get the worst of it during dinner from her sticky dirty hands.
--Unlike her sisters, she doesn't mind being dirty. And rather likes to play in the dirt. But she is very texture sensitive (food, clothing, blankets...).
--She gets on a movie kick and will insist on watching the same movie over and over. For weeks. Fortunately, she has to take turns picking and her big sister likes more variety (and in fact, rarely chooses the same movie twice in a row).
--We joke that if it's quiet, she's up to something. She's so full of energy, usually matched by volume. And she has a bad habit of sneaking off to do something she shouldn't. Like go play outside or sneak food or draw on the walls.
--Little bit of a klutz. Which means bumps and bruises and an endless stream of spilled drinks, food on the floor and messes everywhere.
--She refuses to take naps anymore. If I try to make her take a nap, she will inevitably jump on the bed (despite getting in trouble for that DAILY). So instead, she gets a "quiet time movie", will have a super cranky meltdown by 6:00, second wind and bounce off the walls until 9:00. And then she's a bear to wake up in the morning.
--She's my packrat. She squirrels things away, hiding them in her drawer or under her pillow. Generally I let her do this, thinking she's trying to define "her space" or something. But yeah, the mess drives me a little crazy.
And my perfect, precious, precocious, adorable Lovely.
--It's like she knows that she's the baby and will get away with anything. I can tell her no and she will stare right back at me, slowly trying again, apparently testing me.
--As the baby, I'm pretty sure she believes she's entitled to anything she can steal from her sisters. And she won't share back.
--Again, the crazy sweet tooth. She would live on fruit snacks and marshmallows. And unfortunately, refuses/is too young to negotiate "a bite of this for a bite of that".
--Best sleeper ever. Still naps every day and sleeps 10-11 hours at night. As long as she has her stuffed animals (one under each arm) and blankets piled up the way she likes them. (the other girls became "stinkbug" sleepers as soon as they could roll over. But Lovely still sleeps soundly on her back.) And most nights, she still has her binky. (We are slowly weaning her. She only has it a night now and is sometimes going 2-3 nights without it at all.) She's also still on a bottle (at 20 months old). My other girls had given them up long ago but Lovely won't use a sippy. She will sample from one at dinner but won't drink enough to get the hydration/nourishment she needs. But until she's 2, I'm not going to worry.
--Pretty little princess = hates to be dirty. Thus, frantic fits and begging me to clean her hands to a chorus of "ew! ew! ew!"
--Being stern with her, especially a resounding "no" means that her face will scrunch up, heart positively broken and she will burst into desperate, hopeless sobs.
--Not so gentle with the cats. She loves them but gets so excited that petting quickly turns to pounding.
Eh, Who am I kidding. My kids are amazing. They are wonderful and fun and mischievous and talented and so smart and sweet and adorable. I'm crazy about them.
..and crazy because of them.
...but mostly just crazy about them.
My oldest, my sweet little Butterfly.
--She is genuine, affectionate, caring, sincere, friendly and so brilliant. She is also fiercely competitive and a huge drama queen. If she doesn't win, she more often than not, will burst into tears. It doesn't matter if it's CandyLand, or "who got their seatbelt on first".
--Her brilliance mean endless questions. She does not accept "Because it is." Which is good. And exhausting.
--She's so considerate. She watches out for others, inviting a child to play if they get left out. But she tends to be over bearing, and can be super bossy. Most particular, with Lovely, picking her up, smothering her, forcing her to do things. It does not end well.
--If she doesn't get her way, she runs away and flings herself onto her bed, sobbing. I thought I had a few more years before that level of drama.
--She's a precious, graceful little princess. Who HATES to be dirty.
--When she's so mad that she starts to cry (which is usually), she screams in a way that make me wonder why I haven't gone gray yet. Or deaf. Seriously? How can a kid have such an obnoxious cry? It's forced and ear-piercing and so irritating. It's her angry-and-I'll-let-you-know-it cry. Most of the time, she's an amazing kid. But she can throw EPIC tantrums.
--She's exceptionally talented in many ways. But if she doesn't get it right the first time, she gets angry and stubborn and refuses to try again.
--Serious sweet tooth. I understand, I really do. But I tire of the begging. and the sneaking. or the manipulating sisters to ask when I've already told her no.
My wonderful, impish little Ladybug.
--SO stubborn. yep, that pretty much covers it.
--She's got an incredible imagination. I'm not an expert but compared to her peers, she seems particularly amazing. Her pretend play is so detailed, down to consistently unlocking and locking a door to the imaginary house or cracking eggs and throwing away the eggs shells in an under-the-sink-trashcan before she can mix the cookies. The problem is, most of us don't share her extraordinary gift for detail. And she gets impatient (not mad but impatient) if we "mess up". This goes hand-in-hand with her long-time tendency to be a little OCD. She likes things a very certain way and can drive me nuts with her insistence.
--She insists on wearing her shoes on the wrong feet. She has "flip flops" and "tapping shoes". And adamantly corrects me if I call them sandals or tennis shoes.
--One word: "Mom....mom....mom....mom....mom....mom....mom...." WITH NOTHING TO FOLLOW.
--She won't make eye contact. I don't think it's belligerence. She just doesn't do it. I can hold her chin, put my face inches away and ask her to look at my eyes. Her eyes will nervously dart around, avoiding mine. This makes discipline even more difficult. We have not yet found what works best for her. She shrugs off punishments and isn't very motivated by rewards. She regularly gets in trouble for the same things over and over. I can patiently explain a rule to her but it only sticks in her head about four minutes.
--When she wants affection, she wants to be touch. She wants to cuddle on my lap (which usually I love, but sometimes find smothering). Or Daddy gets the worst of it at the dinner table when she begs to sit next to him and then won't stop touching him. Or I guess I should say that his shirt sleeves get the worst of it during dinner from her sticky dirty hands.
--Unlike her sisters, she doesn't mind being dirty. And rather likes to play in the dirt. But she is very texture sensitive (food, clothing, blankets...).
--She gets on a movie kick and will insist on watching the same movie over and over. For weeks. Fortunately, she has to take turns picking and her big sister likes more variety (and in fact, rarely chooses the same movie twice in a row).
--We joke that if it's quiet, she's up to something. She's so full of energy, usually matched by volume. And she has a bad habit of sneaking off to do something she shouldn't. Like go play outside or sneak food or draw on the walls.
--Little bit of a klutz. Which means bumps and bruises and an endless stream of spilled drinks, food on the floor and messes everywhere.
--She refuses to take naps anymore. If I try to make her take a nap, she will inevitably jump on the bed (despite getting in trouble for that DAILY). So instead, she gets a "quiet time movie", will have a super cranky meltdown by 6:00, second wind and bounce off the walls until 9:00. And then she's a bear to wake up in the morning.
--She's my packrat. She squirrels things away, hiding them in her drawer or under her pillow. Generally I let her do this, thinking she's trying to define "her space" or something. But yeah, the mess drives me a little crazy.
And my perfect, precious, precocious, adorable Lovely.
--It's like she knows that she's the baby and will get away with anything. I can tell her no and she will stare right back at me, slowly trying again, apparently testing me.
--As the baby, I'm pretty sure she believes she's entitled to anything she can steal from her sisters. And she won't share back.
--Again, the crazy sweet tooth. She would live on fruit snacks and marshmallows. And unfortunately, refuses/is too young to negotiate "a bite of this for a bite of that".
--Best sleeper ever. Still naps every day and sleeps 10-11 hours at night. As long as she has her stuffed animals (one under each arm) and blankets piled up the way she likes them. (the other girls became "stinkbug" sleepers as soon as they could roll over. But Lovely still sleeps soundly on her back.) And most nights, she still has her binky. (We are slowly weaning her. She only has it a night now and is sometimes going 2-3 nights without it at all.) She's also still on a bottle (at 20 months old). My other girls had given them up long ago but Lovely won't use a sippy. She will sample from one at dinner but won't drink enough to get the hydration/nourishment she needs. But until she's 2, I'm not going to worry.
--Pretty little princess = hates to be dirty. Thus, frantic fits and begging me to clean her hands to a chorus of "ew! ew! ew!"
--Being stern with her, especially a resounding "no" means that her face will scrunch up, heart positively broken and she will burst into desperate, hopeless sobs.
--Not so gentle with the cats. She loves them but gets so excited that petting quickly turns to pounding.
Eh, Who am I kidding. My kids are amazing. They are wonderful and fun and mischievous and talented and so smart and sweet and adorable. I'm crazy about them.
..and crazy because of them.
...but mostly just crazy about them.
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