October 28th, 2010

It is hard to say whether grounding your 4-year-old from TV is more of a punishment for them or for you. Not only do you have no distraction for said 4-year-old, but you also have to endure endless begging for reconsideration of the no TV rule. Rachel was originally grounded because I asked her to put her shoes on for swim lessons. Instead she turned on the TV. Her defense was that Carson made her do it. This all happened on statements day, which takes all of my time and attention. I RELY on TV as a baby-sitter on statements day. Instead I told them to go clean their room, knowing full well that unsupervised this can turn into an all day affair. Often the room gets much worse before it gets better. It worked. It was 7pm before the room was clean, a full 30 minutes before bed time. And the bonus was, Rachel and Lilly spent all day playing together and had no major fallouts.

A switch flipped for Carson. He is now mimicking words like crazy. And he will sign any word I teach him. He is enjoying his new found ability to communicate with us. He says "no-no!" which sounds more like "doh-doh!" Also, variations of "stinky", "thank you", and "up".

After my run this morning I asked Lilly for a hug. She told me no because I "smell like exercise". She did tell me if I take a shower and change my clothes, then she will hug me. I guess that is the end of the unconditional affection!

October 26th, 2010

My sister watched the kids while I did my workout yesterday. My plan was to stop at the store on my way to pick them up but the workout took much longer than I expected. I was trying to decide if I should still stop at the store, or if I should pick them up first when a thought occurred to me. I missed them. And even though picking them up first would make the whole affair take twice as long and much more stressful, I wanted them with me. They are such delightful little people! And they didn't disappoint. We laughed a lot at the store. Or rather, I laughed a lot. In the car, after we were done, Lilly and Rachel got into it a little and Lilly declared "I don't love anyone!" I asked her if she still loved me, and she said "yes". Then she listed all of the exceptions to her no-love declaration. "I love Nonna and Papa, and Grandma and Grandpa, and all aunts and uncles and Carson." So what it boiled down to is that she no longer felt any love for Rachel. I told Lilly that unfortunately she has no choice, and must love her sister.

Speaking of Lilly, she just came upstairs with her pants and shirt on backwards. I sent her down to get her shoes on and I am betting money that she puts them on the wrong feet. If you tell her she will just say "It's OK with me." This happens a lot with Lilly. One day she had her pants and shirt on backwards, along with shoes on the wrong feet. Later that day I noticed her panties were inside out and on sideways. But if it is OK with her it is OK with me.

The thing I love most about having kids is watching how excited they get about little things. Today is swim lessons day. I reminded Rachel last night. Her eyes lit up and she got a big smile on her face. "I'm going to swim tomorrow?" She was giddy. I told Lilly about swim lessons this morning, and she got the same wonderful look of delight on her face and she said "I'm going to go tell Rachel! Hey Rach!" And she was off. Everything important in their world is small and simple. Candy, family, cousins, books, movies, and swim lessons. We should all be so easily pleased!

October 24th, 2010

Rachel got to have a sleep-over at my parents' house along with her cousins Brady, Brock, and Sam. Lilly did not make the cut-off for this particular slumber party, which I knew could be disastrous for our mostly peaceful little home. I asked Rachel not to talk about the sleep-over, and in the mean time told Lilly that me and her dad were going to take her on a date to McDonald's. Mostly this all went over very well and when the time came for Rachel to leave and us to go on our date, she only complained a little. On the way to McDonald's, we let her sit between us in the front seat. She linked arms with us and told us how much she loves us. When we got there, we ordered her a whole happy meal that she didn't even have to share, and an ice cream cone for dessert. The big thing was the ice cream cone, and the chance to play at the jungle gym. The first thing she did when we got there was climb to the top of the jungle gym. And that is where she stayed the whole time. She was too scared to go down the slide and too scared to climb down the way she came. There was no real way for us to go up to get her, so the two of us, along with several kids and one old lady tried to talk her into coming down. Finally I said "Lilly if you don't come now we won't have time for ice cream." The response was a rapid "OK!" and down she came.

At church today the primary kids did a program for sacrament meeting. Rachel was having none of it. It took forever to convince her to go up with her friends. Once we did, she lasted less than five minutes before she came crying back to our bench. I asked her what happened and she cried (loud enough for all to hear) "I don't want to go with my class today, it's BORING!" There were giggles aplenty, including our own.

Carson likes to play musical people. He starts in my arms, then moves to Shelby, then to the nearest other person whether he knows them or not, then back to me. I don't think it is a game to him so much as it is that he can't decide who he loves the most. When he is with me, he loves dad, when he is with dad, it is the stranger who he prefers. We went to the Hyde Park Street Fair the other day. We took our eyes off him for 1 minute, and he ran straight for a questionable, shady looking man and climbed into his lap. The guy had a look on his face of sheer confusion. I would not be surprised if he had never held a child in his life.

October 21st, 2010

While I was tucking Lilly in tonight she asked if she could count my "breath". By breath she meant teeth. She said "one, two, three, four, (giggle giggle) their slimy!" Then she sang me her own personalized version of "It's Raining It's Pouring" by inserting various names of family members. Tucking Lilly in is always a riot.

It was a beautiful day today so we spent a lot of it outside. I did something I rarely do. I played with the kids on their terms. I swung on the tire swing with them and slid down the slide. Not just out of duty to the kids. I truly played just like I was one of them. I enjoyed it, but learned the following two things: Spinning around and around on a tire swing is super fun, but as an adult, also nauseating. Also, the most efficient way to get to the top of the slide once you have slid down is to climb back up the way you came. But be aware, this is exhausting work. No wonder my kids eat so much!

Tonight the girls are having a sleepover with their friend Ben. This is big news in the world of my children, and will no doubt be the talk of the town for the next few days. I don't know how much fun Ben will think it is. I had no cool treats for them to eat, no fun games planned, and I made them go to bed at their usual time, in separate bedrooms. Still, the idea that another kid slept at their house will be enough excitement to last at least a couple of days.

Carson has finally figured out how to say "please" in sign language. It isn't exactly talking but it beats his usual grunting to get what he wants. He uses it all the time, but he has been disappointed to learn that it doesn't always work. It is not the key to a never ending flow of junk food and beverage of his choice that he first though.

October 19th, 2010

When Rachel grows up she wants to be a washer superhero. She will find all the bad guys, clean them, and then throw them in the garbage truck. I know what you are thinking, "wouldn't that just make them dirty again?" The answer to this question is yes, but it is OK. Apparently once they are in the garbage truck, they die. Washing them first is sort of a last rights ritual. My daughter is a future vigilante.

I asked the girls yesterday what they want for Christmas this year. Rachel listed off all the things she got last year. I guess last Christmas was a hit. Specifically she wants gum and playing cards, and a new horse for Lilly since hers is broken. Since her expectations are incredibly low, it should be an easy Christmas for us. When I asked Lilly what she wants she just listed off a bunch of animal costumes. I think she is getting Christmas confused with Halloween.

October 18th, 2010

With the exception of green beans, Carson is not a fan of vegetables. Really, he is not a fan of very many foods unless they are sweet. Usually he grimaces upon tongue-on-vegetable contact. That is, unless it is a vegetable that is on my plate. On the rare occasions I get to eat a meal in peace in front of the computer, he will inevitably find me. He makes it clear he wants some of my food (which is almost always vegetables) by standing right by my plate with his mouth open while he makes a sort of urgent gasping sound. I give him the food on my plate I think he will find the most repulsive, hoping it will deter him. He is so stubborn! Sometimes I see him struggling with wanting to take the bite I am giving him, but not wanting to actually eat the food. I can tell he is trying to brace himself. His eyes say "no" but his mouth says "can't-let-mom-win".

Shelby's mom visited this weekend along with her friend John. The girls were so excited. Here is the  thing about my kids, they put on a great show. When other people are around, they are not necessarily polite and perfectly behaved, but they are always entertaining. Lilly put on her own one woman show, complete with costume and a dance routine, and a whole array of very funny faces. She also played beautician for John, and did his hair so he could "look butiful." John was a great sport about it. My kids also give of their love very freely. Everyone in their world is important to them. It makes them easy to love in return.

I like that my kids think I am perfect, but this is not always a great thing. Rachel often asks me questions I do not know the answer to, but if I tell her that she doesn't believe me. The conversation usually goes something like this: "mom, why is the sky blue?" "I don't know Rachel." "But mom, why is it blue?" "I am sorry Rachel, but I just don't know." "Mom, just tell me!" This goes on until finally I make up some passable answer. When my kids go off to school they are going to have some pretty interesting ideas about things.

October 15th, 2010

Rachel said her first swear word yesterday. She was quite impressed with the work I had done on our guest bedroom and used a mild expletive to describe her feelings. I asked her to repeat what she had said, just to be certain. Sure enough, she said what I thought she did. When asked where she heard the expression and she told me she made it up. Mostly I was amused, and glad I was the first to hear it....at least I hope I was.

Three children acquire a lot of stuff. Mostly in the form of used toys given to them by well-meaning people whose own kids have outgrown them. Ours is a house of constant clutter. As a result I am forever throwing things away as I walk through my house. I am not sure if Lilly just likes exploring the contents of the garbage, or if she is just on to me, but she is always pulling toy pieces, bits of plastic, and other items she deems valuable out of the trash. "Mom, this is not garbage" she tells me in an authoritative tone. Sometimes I argue with her, but it ends in her being upset, so usually I just say "OK Lilly, go put it away." Yes, I have become that mother who gives in at times to avoid hearing a tantrum. Then during my next house cleaning I just throw it all away again. We have a stuffed Idaho Potato doll that I have thrown away at least a dozen times. Why not bury it deeper, you ask? Lilly is a digger, and if it is there, she will find it!

Carson has taken to sucking his thumb. Only when I am around and he is in the mood to push my buttons. He is not a thumb sucker, he never has been. He spent an afternoon with his cousin Lidia, who does suck her thumb. Now he thinks it's clever to do this while I am holding him. He looks me straight in the eye (daring me maybe?), inserts thumb, and waits for a reaction. A smart mom would just ignore him, which makes me think maybe I like this game too.