Rainbows and Unicorns

You wake up one day and your former toddler is now a real live big girl. People say it goes by fast and you don't realize how true it is until you live it. GRANTED, some days and YEARS I will admit have gone by really REALLY slow. It hasn't all been rainbows and unicorns, which are EVERYWHERE right now. So naturally that's what Addie's birthday/last few months have been all about. She wanted a mural painted in her new room (more about that later) but I'm gonna have to say no to some things my dear. Her new room has been fun to transform into her own little space here lately. It's so much easier to buy her things and decorate for her now that she has VERY clear ideas and opinions about what she likes.

Let's Just Freeze These Ages

The girls, Mom, and I just got home from watching Frozen 2 this afternoon. I can't even describe how different it is going to the movies now with a 7 and 4 year old. It's moments like these that I realize  how much they've grown up. They're currently sleeping in Addie's room for the night and it probably took us 10 minutes to "do bedtime". I don't even like to remember how long and tiring bedtimes used to be. So yea, there are sad parts to them getting older but I'm also really really really loving that they are more reasonable and independent. This is probably a stage where I've most wanted to freeze time for a while. It's a pretty sweet spot. They're still young enough to be my "babies" but big enough to be a mostly functional human. YAY, progress!

Addie is SUPER IN TO writing and treasure hunts! There are no less than 500 sheets of white paper scattered around the house with her stories of bananas being chased by cows and cats dancing with rats and such. It's actually pretty amazing. She could be doing so many worse things. At least 3 times a week she makes us a treasure hunt with phrases like "light so bright" that lead us to a clue on her lamp and so on and so forth. She's not playing with her dolls or any other toys really as much lately. Writing pretty much rules. She's doing well in gymnastics but a little bored with her class. She needs to move up to the next level. She might take it again in the Spring. She mentioned taking piano but now is mentioning singing lessons. I think she likes a little bit of a lot of things (I'm pretty sure where she gets that from). She can get easily bored with the same thing and seems to want to try different things. She's mentioned she does not prefer outdoor sports because it's either too cold or hot. Addie's doing great in 1st grade. Reading on a 2nd grade level and doing AR tests. She still talks about Mason a lot. He's been her fave boy for 2 years now. Her closest friend right now is probably Eliana. They can get on each other's nerves like sisters though. They are both pretty strong-willed 1st kids.

Emme's taking a break from gymanstics too. It's been good for just to work on overall strength and coordination. I don't think she was super into it but she stuck with it and played along. She's ready for softball this Spring and basketball next Fall. Girl's a baller. She's also imitating Addie and writing like crazy lately too. She's not spelling anything independently yet besides her name and a few basic words though so we get a lot of "How do you spell ____" all the time (from Addie too!). Emme has changed and matured a lot this year too. She still has a special heart for babies and kids younger than her. She also still tends to like playing with boys. Zach is her main man, although I don't necessarily know if Zach is as into a little girl playing with him all the time :) They're sweet though. This is the 2nd year they've been in the same class together. I can tell Emme is starting to become more aware of social expectations like who wants to play with me and who is my best friend. She can get her feelings hurt about people not playing with her which is a lot different because she used to not care at all. She's still pretty easy going. Loves talking on the phone in the mornings with her Nana. She's not a huge tv watcher right now. She likes to follow me or Andrew around and just kind of hang with us. Kind of an old soul. Very perceptive. Asks a lot about plans, other people, sick people, etc. Recently we've known a few people that have died or been really sick and Emme will remember those people in her prayers for months and months. Definitely has a caring heart... and a great memory.

Overall, they are growing beautifully and we couldn't be more thankful.

I like to move it, move it!

I'm my last blog post from 9 months ago I said maybe we won't do anything crazy like move and that we need to "nip the girls getting in our beds ASAP". Well, I'm 0 for 2.

 

So here we are now in a new house with a fresh 6 yr old and 3 and 1/2 yr old that STILL sneak into our bed often. God totally has a sense of humor.

 

I feel like I blinked and Addie is now a real live big girl. People say it goes by fast and you don't realize how true it is until you live it. GRANTED, some days and YEARS I will admit have gone by really REALLY slow. It hasn't all been rainbows and unicorns, which are EVERYWHERE right now. So naturally that's what Addie's birthday/last few months have been all about. It's so much easier to buy her things and decorate for her now that she has VERY clear ideas and opinions about what she likes. Currently she’s into her new “American Girl” doll, Addie (of course). Sometimes I think she’s still more into the little puppy dog that came with the doll though. That gal loves her some stuffed animals. I deep down love that and wish she could play make-believe with all her animals friends forever. That probably wouldn't look too cute when she's in college though. She and Emme play together now really well for the most part. Sometimes there have been stretches where they can play for hours with zero supervision. BLISS. This part of my kids growing up I can really get used to. It feels so strange when I do not have to do very much for them. Unfortunately it does not take long before one of them has flushed something down the toilet or whacked the other one with a broom and I’m quickly reminded that they still need me.

So back to the move. We have moved AGAIN to a new (to us) house in Meridianville. It’s  surreal being back in my hometown. Ryan/Lindsey are practically across the street from us and Laura/Luke are just a short bike ride down the neighborhood. We went from not really having connections in our town to now having best friends in our back yard. The kids are in major culture shock and want to play with their neighbor friends constantly. We go on bike rides/walks a lot together. I am sure the newness of them being so close will wear off eventually. It is sweet though. Addie tends to get VERY energized by her friends yet needs her alone time to mellow out. She doesn’t understand that yet and wants to hang out with buddies way past her limit. I totally get that. I think has that weird extroverted/introverted thing going on like me. Having friends close has been the good part of the move, but leaving her comfortable house and yard she loved so much has been really hard on her. We’ve been at our new house almost 3 mths now and she’s getting a lot more comfortable. Her room is mostly finished and the rest of the house is coming along. Emme has had a hard time adjusting to her room and her bed at night so the girls tend to sleep together more often than not in Addie’s room. IF it doesn’t take 2 hours for them to settle down, I really don’t mind them sleeping together. It’s actually just about the cutest thing I’ve ever seen and I’d love to freeze that picture in mind. 

Back to Addie! She started Kindergarten at Lynn Fanning. Yes, it’s her 2^nd year of Kindergarten and I DON’T CARE. Last year was good practice. I don’t think she needs this year to repeat the academics but for getting used to going somewhere SEVEN hours a day, five days a week. That’s a lot on a little kid…or a grown adult. I’m on team “Let’s keep them young as long as possible”. Anyways, she likes her class and teacher now that she’s about 6 weeks into school. The first few weeks were a STRUGGLE. She did fine once there but at drop-off time she had to be pried out of the car crying. Not a fun scene to witness. Lord bless those big, big 6 year old feelings. She has made a sweet new best friend, Sophie, which has helped her out dramatically! A close friend can make all the difference. Her teacher is Ms. Williams. I don’t know a ton about her. We are definitely not in mother’s morning out anymore where you know ALL the things about their teacher, class, potty breaks, etc. It’s taking some adjusting but I totally remember my teacher days and parent-communication was unfortunately not on my survival list. Note to self:  Do that better if I ever teach again. Teachers now are just insanely busy which is so sad. Welcome to the real world. It’s a hard-knock life in K these days. However, Addie also tells me fun stories about going to the treasure chest, having dance parties, picking fun stations to go to, music class, and mostly recess time. Lord, thank you that our babies still get time to just be a kid and play on the playground with their buddy. Sometimes, I worry if Addie is learning enough since she already learned so much last year. Honestly though, at this age, I’m pleased if she learns how to swing high, be kind to others, make it all the way across the monkey bars, share, accept others, obey the teacher, and develop friendships that she’ll carry with her for the next 12 years of school. Of course I want to see her become more comfortable reading and all those other academic type things but I really want her to work hard and be proud of her growth no matter how fast or slow her peers are moving along with her. Bless her perfectionist heart. I’m thankful she cares but I also want her to know she’s important even when she’s not meeting perfect marks. At least home is her safe place where she definitely doesn’t worry about being perfect. Ha. Lucky us! (but for real though, lucky us)

She’s started acro this year instead of dance. She’s in class with Sadie and Emma Jane and seems to really love it. She gets so excited about doing her back bend or walkover (with help). I think she likes gymnastics more than dance at this point. Working slowly on specific skills is much more her rhythm.

This was Addie’s first year to also go to church camp. I went with her and stayed in her cabin. It was a lot for a 5 year old to engage with K-5^th graders and stay up until 10-11 at night. She had fun though. She was pretty shy and wanted me a lot but if I were not in sight she’d be so brave and have a great time. The cabin girls were all very sweet and exceeded my expectations especially at bedtime. Few fits were thrown which majorly surprised me. I think all the sugar they were fed helped.

It's been a tough year of changes for her but also a HUGE year for growth! Some nights she’ll give herself a bath, brush her teeth, clean her room, and help Emme get dressed. Moments like those make me a believer in prayer. J I am so, so proud of her doing so many new things like reading by herself and riding her bike without training wheels, but mostly I am so happy that she is finding her strengths, passions, and friends. Thank you God.

Penny, School, and Snowman Poop

It's been a while since I've written so there's just a teensy bit to catch up on.

First off, the dog. We still have her which is kind of a miracle considering some days she chews up everything in the house from the girls' toys to my hairbrush. I know it's cliché to be complaining about a puppy chewing on things but the struggle is real. She still darts out of the front door like a bat out of "the hot place" if we aren't careful. My mom loves chasing her around the neighborhood... in the rain... and cold. ;) The house training is coming along other than some surprises every once in a while. She's not a fan of the cold weather so that's been a challenge. Other than her puppy issues, she's a champ at tolerating the girls. I even think she likes them sometimes which is somewhat surprising considering all the turmoil they put her through. She's fallen asleep with each of them a couple nights which was really sweet and shocking that they could be still with her that long. With all things considered, I'm really glad we have her... during the hours of 8:30-10:30pm when she's really cuddly and calm.

This Fall both girls started Mt. Zion Baptist weekday school. Addie is in their Kindergarten program every day from 9-1 and Emme just goes to the 2 yr old class Tue-Thur. We're glad that we decided to ease Addie into Kindergarten this way bc of her August birthday. Adapting to the curriculum and going five days a week is plenty for her at this point. She's doing really well academically and has great behavior at school. She's probably had to work a little harder to be on the same level as the other kids since she's the youngest. She wants to do everything perfect at school. We're working on some of those issues with her... and myself. One day I hope to be perfect at not being a perfectionist. ;) Bedtime is still tough because she just wants to keep playing. One day we pray that she will gain the ability to fall asleep well. She and Emme both have been sneaking in our bed almost every night for a while. We're either going to need to get a King bed or nip this in the bud ASAP. Emme enjoys her class. According to her teacher she's a chatterbox and "pushes the buttons" sometimes. We were surprised by that! I think she's probably really sweet 90% of the time though.... but I'm not biased at all.

Speaking of Emme, she turned 3 TODAY. GULP. I've been somewhat teary about this day for a little while. I'm not fully ready for my baby to not be a baby anymore. I don't know if a 3rd baby is the solution but it's tempting! As sad as it makes me, I do LOVE seeing all of her growth. I know how challenging 3 can be so I'm bracing myself. Maybe going into it with the bar set low, I'll be better equipped to handle it. LORD BE NEAR. She's so funny with her expressions and vocabulary. I could listen to her talk all day. Wait, I take that back... especially at bedtime or at 6 am when she wakes up. It's hard to describe her interests because she's pretty easy going and plays with whatever Addie plays with. She does seem to enjoy puzzles and playing ball. We're having a Minnie Mouse birthday party on Sunday. She doesn't really watch or play with Minnie so not sure where her request came from but it'll be cute and easy since Addie had a Minnie party when she was 2. It's fun to see how alike and different the girls can be. Emme goes to sleep easier but definitely sleeps lighter than Addie. She's in Addie's old daybed and Addie now has bunk beds that we inherited from a family at church. So far we've never had two people sleep in the bunk beds because well, see paragraph above. I thought we'd try them both in there but I think we have enough issues at bedtime to introduce that scenario. Maybe when they are over 10 we'll let them... Kidding... Kind of.

Andrew and I are about the same. He's busier at work these days. In a month we're going on our first cruise together! Excited and nervous. I'm taking a sewing/crafting break for a couple months now that the holidays are over. Speaking of, Christmas was crazy, busy, fun, and exhausting as usual. Addie was really into gifts this year. Their big gift was a trampoline which we haven't used very much because it's been extremely cold. They probably (Addie specifically) are disappointed because Santa didn't bring a Barbie dream house, zip line, or hula hoop. There's always next year kiddos. However, I'd love to minimize the amount of presents next year. That's such a slippery slope that I'm afraid we're already too far down though. We did an advent type calendar this year with nativity magnets the first half of the month and then activities/gifts the rest of the days. They really got into it. I was pleasantly surprised that they enjoyed the nativity magnets so much. Parenting WIN! Now the 2nd half of the month was a little dicey. It took a turn towards materialism and sugar. Some days we did family activities like going to see lights, watching a Christmas movie, going to Christmas village, etc. I was so DONE with thinking of ideas by the time Dec 25th rolled around. One day I just gave them an orange... because um, that's what kids used to get in their stockings way back when. Thankfully, it worked. Another day I found tic-tacs and just said it was snowman poop. Of course, they LOVED that one. Going from Baby Jesus to snowman poop probably isn't what the advent calendar was intended for but OH WELL.

Here's to 2018! Maybe we'll just take it easy and not move or add a dog or human to our family this year. No guarantees with us! Apparently Addie now wants bunnies for Christmas next year. Stay tuned.

ALL PRAISE TO GOD!

Dog days of Summer

Well, life has had its easier days…. Or maybe I should say less interesting days.

I’ll just start with the good things. First off, we welcomed our newest family member, Penny, to our crew at the beginning of July. It’s been fun, exciting, nerve-wrecking, and stressful. She’s truly adorable and mostly a sweet-natured pup that the girls want to hold ALL. THE. TIME. She’s been held upside down by her tail, knocked off the couch, picked up by the neck, and sprayed with the water hose. Girl’s gotta be tough to hang with my kids. The girls truly do adore her. Addie has been wanting a dog for at least a couple years now so we took the plunge. Andrew and I left on a Saturday morning to go to Sparta, TN to pick her up. My parents kept the girls and then we got back home around 2 and Addie came outside to meet her new surprise. She was beyond excited. She said “did she hatch out of an egg?” haha. Cute.

 In some ways its been easier than expected and in others its been much harder. I didn’t anticipate that I would need to monitor the girls and her non-stop. I had JUST gotten to a point where I didn’t have to supervise them constantly. Oh well, hopefully the newness will wear off and they’ll learn to be more gentle with her. I want Penny to like them and not be a terrified dog. She’s doing pretty good with house training. She’s def had accidents inside, mostly when the kids let her out of her crate when she shouldn’t be. PLUS my body has decided that 32 is a good age for me to start being allergic to dogs. BUMMER. I hope I “grow out of it”. Please Lord. Maybe our old yorkie Allie is sending bad voodoo my way since we gave her away and got a different dog. ;)

The dog has been the most exciting part of our summer other than a beach trip to Destin we took with Debra and the Wilkins. Besides almost losing Levi on day 1 at the beach, we had a great time. We had great weather and the kids had so much fun playing in the waves for hours. Emme wasn’t a huge fan yet. Being shorter than the waves kind of made them not as fun and being hot in the sticky sand wasn’t her favorite thing in the world. She just kept wanting snacks and to go back inside. She loves her food.

Emme just passed her 2 and ½ yr mark in June and Addie is going to be 5 in a month. In some ways they are playing better together but there’s still kind of a bossy toddler vs. pestering little baby vibe going on. They seem to encourage each other to get into all sorts of trouble too. Maybe one day I’ll be able to turn my back and not worry that they’ll smear toothpaste all over the bedroom.

Emme is almost 30 lbs and is jumping off the ground all the time. Her language has definitely taken off. She says full sentences constantly and loves to use her words to tattle tell now too. ;0 I guess she decided she’s earned it. She can almost say her abcs with some translation required. She’s almost riding her tricycle all by herself and likes to swing in the big girl swing on her belly. She still wants me to push her (A LOT) on her baby swing too though. Her Dora shoes are def her fave accessory even though she’s probably never seen the actual show. We took her crib front piece off because she had started climbing out a couple months ago. (We also tried letting Addie sleep in Emme’s room around then and lets just say after two weeks we decided we aren’t trying that again for a WHILE.) So now her bed is basically a daybed with a rail on the front. FOR THE MOST PART, she stays in it when we put her to bed. I think it’s only because she can’t open the door so she knows there’s no escape route. PRAISE THE LORD OF LORDS that so far she’s been pretty good at going to sleep. SO THANKFUL. I still rock her some but we’re trying to wean off of that. She still wants only Momma at bed time. I think 15 mths of nursing her to sleep is to blame. Oh well.

Now, onto the big (almost) FIVE year old. In some ways I’m ready for 5 because I’m ready for a little bit less of toddler meltdowns and dependency. However, that also means she’ll officially be entering big kid status. GULP. She’s been wanting to do everything by herself since she was born though so that hasn’t changed… except for now she actually can do some things well on her own like get dressed (eh, with a little help picking out the clothes), brushing teeth, getting her water, fixing breakfast (granted the other morning it was chips and marshmallows), “helping” with the dog, and cleaning up (ummm… somewhat). I am proud of her growth in many ways. Her prayers sometimes make me catch my breath they are so sweet and sincere. I love how she acts around friends at church and seems to treat others kindly. She’s still a little timid around peers and gravitates more towards her familiar friends like Harrison at church. She’s more of a fan of “reading” a book to me or Andrew than she is of listening to one. I haven’t pushed too much forced academics this summer so her mind can rest and play. She starts her Mt. Zion kindergarten in August as well as dance. I still wonder if I should’ve just started her in Monrovia but I do think she’ll do really well at Mt. Zion. I hope she’ll gain confidence in herself. I can tell that when she can’t do something perfect the first time she gets very frustrated. I hope she will learn to give herself more grace and gain more perseverance. I’m excited to see all that she will learn. I think she might be more interested in gymnastics right now but we’ve signed up for another season of dance so we’ll give that one more year then see what she’d like to do. I just want her to find a passion and enjoy it. She’s played a lot less with her animals and toys lately and has been into coloring and drawing more. It’s kind of sad to not see her playing with all her “people”.

It’s a busy, challenging stage but also very sacred. Thank you God for this time.

Sewing with Nana

The desire to create struck me hard this past week. I fell in love with some precious pinafore dresses online and just had to give them a go.

After lots of ironing, you-tube'ing, and a few "re-do's", here's how the finished product turned out:

I love finishing a task but one of my favorite parts of this project was when I found the perfect buttons from my Nana's old sewing box. They absolutely completed the dress. I love finding little treasures left behind from her. It's like we get to sew together even though she isn't here. I would much prefer hearing her voice teaching me or having her hands helping me but finding her things is such a sweet way of feeling her presence.

I also found her loaded bobbins in used camera film bottles. I imagine she did that before Alzheimer's took her mind.  Her disease clouded our memories of her but this reminded me of how resourceful, organized and proactive she could be... and just think, she did all this before Pinterest taught us "101 clever ways to organize everything".

Thanks for sewing with me Nana.

Pre-K and Diapers Graduation

Addie is now a graduate... of Pre-K. It seems surreal yet deserved considering all of the mornings we've spent over the past 4 years getting dressed and out the door. The changes I've witnessed over the years are pretty remarkable. She spent 2, 3, almost 4 years crying and clinging to me when I dropped her off but over the past 6 mths she proudly would hold Emme's hand and walk down the sidewalk into the school door without even looking back. There were still moments she would look for me before I drove off and wave excitedly. Those memories will forever be locked in my heart. She also started out barely knowing how to hold a crayon and now this year she's mastered writing her name. Her "e" is still a bit wonky but it's come a long ways! She is sounding out words and letters and rhyming all the time. Now when I try to read her a book she insists that she "reads" it to me. Her coloring is insanely more precise than it was even a couple months ago. It makes me so happy to see her brain becoming interested in all these things. I'm also so thrilled that last night at her end of the year performance she sang loudly and confidently on stage. She used to stand up there so timidly without barely moving or singing. It was like watching a different kid last night. I'm so glad she was able to feel confident! She will miss Ms. Jennifer, Ms. Crystal, Ms. Angie, Tommy, Violet and her other friends very much. Madison MMO was such a sweet environment for her these past 2 years.

 

 

Emme is also a graduate... of potty training! OH HAPPY DAY! For the past month or two she has really been going consistently and sometimes on her own. About a month ago (she was 2 and 3 mths) we started going to church and other public places minus the diaper safety net. I'm knocking on all the wood in hopes that she will continue doing well. Some naps she'll go without a diaper but most of the time she still sleeps with a diaper or pull-up. She also went to school with panties and a pull up on over them just in case of an accident. Her teacher Ms. Missy was very helpful and encouraging. Emme got really lucky this year too to have a wonderful school teacher.



This summer we MAY try transitioning to a toddler bed but for now she's not climbing out so in the crib she's staying!! We've already rocked her bedtime world up too much by letting Addie "sleep" in her room next to her crib. It's been about 2 weeks and I'm not seeing progress so this experiment is about to be OVER. Trying to get Addie going to sleep in her own bed again is not going to be an easy feat though. YAWN. The day she starts going to sleep easier I am seriously going to throw myself a party. I just pray every night she will be able to go to sleep easier. LORD GIVE US STRENGTH, WISDOM, AND PATIENCE. :) We're proud of her in many many areas but falling asleep needs some WORK. Oh well, day by day we'll get through it. I'm just thankful that our girls are healthy and growing. To God be the glory!!!