It's that time of year again! Time to post all of the pertinent present-purchasing information for our family. So, here goes:
JOSIAH:
- Clothing size: 3T
- Sock size: 4T
- Shoe Size: 7.5/8
- Favorite Color: Blue or Red
- Favorite Superhero: Spiderman (Followed closely by Batman, with Superman coming in third)
- Favorite thing to play with: Anything that mildly resembles something that a Ninja, Ultimate Fighter, or Superhero would need. (I.E, swords, guns, boxing gloves, throwing stars, costumes)
- He could also really use a bodysuit for playing outside, and boots.
- Clothing size: 4T
- Sock size: 5T
- Shoe size: 9/9.5
- Favorite color: Pink! (Other favorites are light blue and purple)
- Favorite Superhero: Spiderman. (I don't get it, but she always steals Josiah's Spidey Stuff)
- Favorite Princess: She currently favors Belle. Also- any of the Barbie Princesses.
- Favorite thing to play with: Right now she is still really into Barbies, also My Little Pony and those crazy Littlest Pet Shops sets.
- She has a bodysuit for outside play, but no boots!
For the adults:
Ken wants Amazon certificates, or a cordless drill.
Lindsey wants Target gift cards, or more cooking accessories. (Tart pans or baking dishes!)
Alana has a new favorite phrase.
Last week we were trying to get her into a bath. It's traditional to strip her down and at the last possible minute ask her to use the toilet. So she's sitting on the toilet, totally naked, and we ask if she's ready to get into the tub.
(Note: she has a horrible cold, so she makes that cute little "b" sound instead of "v".)
"Neber."
Me: "Sweetie, aren't you cold?"
Alana: *glares*
Me: "The bath is nice and warm, won't you get into it?"
Alana: "NEBER! NEBER EBER!" *clutching the toilet seat with all her might*
Ken: "Alana, it really is time for you to take a bath" *laughing*
Alana: "Don't wanna, won't do it."
Me: *also laughing* "Come on, Laina Bee, why won't you take a bath?"
Alana: "NEBER!"
Ken: (aside, to me) "Well, what do we do?"
Me: (quietly) "Ignore her and play with Josiah. She'll get bored."
Alana: "NEBER EBER EBER!"
(Five minutes later she was in the tub.)
But I can handle it.
And I love my crazy Bubby! Happy birthday, little mister.
Alana is obsessed with a four letter F word. Only not the one that makes people blush- this one is a frog! Recently a neighbor of mine decided to move away, and she borrowed our yard to sell off possessions she wouldn't have room for in her new home. One of these was a baby albino frog, which Alana of course fell madly in love with. She would put her head down on the table and talk to the frog, and sing it songs, and excitedly tell anyone who was interested that this frog was a special frog who liked to swim in the water.
Neighbor Girl was so charmed by Alana's frog-crush that she decided to leave the frog with us. So yay! Spanky-Pants has her first living breathing pet. It will be her job to give it it's pellets every morning (really, it's my job, but Spanky will do the actual giving) and Spanky will have to supervise cleaning the bowl when necessary. Alana is super excited about everything that has to do with the Frog.
She named it "Swimming Frog Who Lives In Water", Bogger for short.
So, World: meet Bogger!
The year in pictures:
Here's to you, Spanky pants. You changed your
mommy's world and made her a better person. No matter who you grow up to be, you will always be my little pixie princess. Don't you dare let me forget it! (Not that you would!)
So April (our upstairs neighbor) and I are sharing gardening responsibilities as well as the fruit of our labors, and so far everything is going splendidly. We've got a wonderful array of plants coming in, some that were already here and some that we've put in on our own. There were already concord grapes, raspberries and rhubarb- to which we've added the following: Green beans, onions, snow peas, sweet peas, two kinds of cucumber, four kinds of pepper, three kinds of tomatoes, three kinds of squash, cantaloupe, watermelon, eggplant, and several kinds of lettuces.
It's all chained in, because there are WABBITS!
Here are some pictures of Alana and the gardening tools she got so that she'd quit fighting with me over mine:
I have to commend April for the awesome work she did setting up the fencing around the garden and satellite garden. That woman knows how to WORK! So here's the garden. Just click on the pictures to see an expanded description, because otherwise this post will take FOREVER!
No, not spring- time to actually give the kids hair cuts. Until they are old enough to be reasoned with I only like to do it once a year, since haircutting in our house is a little like chasing a bucking bronco around the living room, sitting on it to trim it's mane, getting knocked back off and starting the whole process over again. Yes, I sat on Josiah to cut his hair while he shook his head back and forth and said "nononononononononNOnoNOnoNOOOOOO..."- but he was laughing the entire time, so I don't think he'll be traumatized! (Okay, maybe I'm exagerrating a *little*- most of the time I just chased him around with the scissors and trimmed whenever he happened to stand still to catch his breath.)
Alana was more amiable this year, because she could watch the process in the mirror and tell me when I was doing it wrong.
Yet, the night ended with both kids having more-or-less presentable haircuts, so score one for mommy!
Alana is also helping me with my gardening attempts. I told her she could plant any seeds she wanted. She picked two kinds of tomatoes and basil! She truly is my daughter.
This morning the kids ask to watch a video while I get ready for the day, and I consent. About ten minutes in Alana comes running SCREAMING into the bathroom---
ALANA: Mommy, mommy, come quick!
ME: What is it?
ALANA: Come HERE I said.
ME: Alana, is there some reason I need to come?
ALANA: It's brother, it's brother, something's wrong...
ME: Okay. *runs*
ALANA: look at him, mommy, just LOOK!
ME: He's watching a video and eating his breakfast...?
ALANA: I think something's wrong with him.
ME: hnuh?
ALANA: He's not moving.
ME: He's eating.
ALANA: He's being GOOD. Is that okay?
That one is going to have me giggling forever. She was sincerely worried!
So last time I had the boys here, they played with Josiah's Tonka truck and made a "garage" out of some chairs, a table and a quilt. That was in the kid's room. This morning Alana and Josiah are still asleep, (ha! right after I wrote that, Josiah starts crying) so I told the boys that they could have the Tonka truck, but they'd have to stay in the living room. So Timmy asks me, "can we have the coolest garage?"
I replied, "what were you thinking?"
He says, "I wanted you to think of something. Something really cool."
Somewhere in the back of my brain two wires connected, and I remembered them, as they came in, remarking that there was the COOLEST box in our yard. So I went out and got the box and sliced a few holes in it for light, and viola! The coolest garage EVER.
And for gratuitous pleasure, Alana eating an ice cream cone:
And, just because... In the course of writing this post I have:
- fetched a cup of juice
- read a book
- changed a diaper
- gotten a bottle of milk
- started a video
- served snacks.
Yesterday Alana was less than well behaved when we went out to eat. We tried everything we could think of to get her to listen, from bribery to withholding privileges (no videos, no treats, going straight to bed when we get home) and eventually resorted to the last ditch, "If you do not listen mommy is taking you into the bathroom and you WILL listen or..."
She was just completely out of her mind. She wanted to go back home, and she thought that if she acted out enough she'd get her way. There was NO way she was going to win, so Ken and I finished our desserts anyway.
Then we get home, and it was like a nuclear meltdown. We put her in her bed, she'd get out, she'd scream for me or Josiah or just about anything. Eventually she negotiated getting me to take her to the potty- I think because she knows how badly we wish she was fully potty trained by now. So I sit her down, and she starts talking.
Alana: Mommy, I think I made Ken angry. (When she's serious, she always calls him by his first name. SO CUTE.)
Me: Well, sweetie, you didn't listen very well, did you?
Alana: I didn't want to.
Me: And that made Daddy upset, because he wants you to learn to listen to him.
Alana: I didn't know I would make Ken angry.
Me: You could have made better choices. Mommy and Daddy tried very hard to show you how important it was.
Alana: I'm sorry. I want to be able to watch a video and see brother.
Me: If you listened to Daddy you would be able to.
Alana: I'm sorry. I didn't want for Ken to be angry.
Me: Will you try harder to listen?
Alana: I will. Can I talk to Ken?
Me: I'll ask Daddy if he will talk to you.
Alana: I love Ken. I want to be his princess.
Me: You are, sweetie.
Alana: Pretty please can I tell him?
Me: Of course.
And she did. She told him she knew she was bad and didn't listen, and she was sorry and she didn't mean for him to be mad. The rest of the evening she behaved perfectly (well, with one exception when it got close to bedtime) and she made sure to look at Ken and have him NOTICE her listening. A few times she even put her hand on his arm and told him she was listening and being good. It's amazing- because I for one would have expected it to take longer for our emotions to factor into her reasoning, with most kids it seems to be much more about fear of punishment. Yet, with Alana it is less about the punishment (though she hated it) and more about the fact that she knew how much she'd upset Ken. She HATED him being angry with her, hated it more than anything else.
I'm so insanely lucky to have the children I do.
So, yesterday I had a friend's boys. The older one took the younger one's bowl and dumped it out. The younger one yelled for me...
And then it began.
Me: Timmy, did you dump out your brother's bowl?
Timmy: I don't remember.
Me: it was one minute ago.
Timmy: but I don't know what happened!
Me: have you been hit on the head?
Timmy: what? No.
Me: then you are fully capable of remembering what happened to you a minute ago.
Timmy: but...
Me: You will answer me, or you will get a time out.
Timmy: but I don't know what happened.
Me: Don't you dare lie to me. I do NOT believe you.
Timmy: Maybe I did, then.
Me: did you, or did you not?
Timmy: (looking at the floor, shuffling his feet, mumbling) I think I did.
Me: Go in the other room. I won't punish you, but if you EVER lie AGAIN...
Timmy: Okay.
Oh... My... God...
So this is what I have to look forward to? Can I just give them back when they get old enough to try that kind of stuff?
