More things they say

I bought BabyP pajamas over the weekend.  One set has cars and the other has dinosaurs.  He loves to wear his car pajamas, but I love it when he wears his dinosaur pajamas.  He points to his shirt and says "dinosaur ROAR!."  He does it just like a little boy should with lots of exclamation, and it makes me want to chew on his sweet cheeks.

Peanut is interested in plants and especially flowers.  Springtime is wonderful where we live.  There are a lot of native red bud trees.  She points them out to us as we drive by exclaiming "Red Butt Tree".  For a while, she would let herself be corrected, but the other day she got indignant with her dad.  "It...Is...A...red... BUTT... Tree, dad"  How can he be so dumb?

Weekend gone

Peanut was outside during what was supposed to be the quiet time.  She was working with Daisy on tricks.
Later that evening, as we were driving home from getting her hair cut, she said to me,
"Teaching Daisy tricks is really boring."
"oh it is?"
"Yes, but I signed up for it, so I guess I will do it some more when I get home."

She just learned how to write her name a couple of months ago.  I am not too sure she signed up for anything!  Later she said "At first the tricks weren't so good.  Daisy just layed down.  Then I taught her to roll over by showing her a stick and a ball and telling her to do a trick."  That part made me laugh too.  I am pretty sure I know who was doing the teaching.  I am pretty sure the one doing the teaching is really hairy.

BabyP continues to test my patience.  It is amazing to me how someone so sweet and with such a need to please can be so darn stubborn.  I took his juice box away 3 times before he told me thank you the other day.  He was just being mean about it. I am learning that with him it is best to ask him repeatedly to give me something or really stay on him when he is being naughty.  I can see him thinking about what to do, but at this phase, his need to please and be loved over rides his strong desire to go through the pantry, take my keys or drag out the brooms from the broom closet.  It is really a different way of parenting then I do with Peanut.  With peanut you have to act quickly.  She takes the correction and moves on to the next thing.  With BabyP, a quick correction will result in a temper tantrum, someone or something getting hit, more correction and a trip to time out that lasts way longer than it should because getting out of time out is fun.  (if you are the one in time out)

Peanut has a new pose.  It is the preschool princess version of blue steel.  She goes into the pose pose as soon as she a camera. 

Egg - Tastic vs1

We tried eagerly to make it to Wye Mountain early, but life got in the way.  As with most things, when life gets in the way, you have the oppurtunity to live.  So live we did.

While Mr. T. ran errands, I took the kids over to the Baker Park for the egg hunt.  I wasn't planning on taking the kids because they will be participating in no less than 5 Easter Egg hunts, but when the opportunity is there...

The turn out wasn't as good as in years past, so there were more than enough eggs to go around.  Peanut made a giant loop through the park collecting eggs.  I don't really understand why she looped through the park other than she was just so excited that she couldn't stop her feet from moving.

The more timid among us stayed close to my side while working on picking up eggs in his immediate vicinity.  Projects like this are great for little boys like him who like to pick things up and put them away.  I can only imagine the sense of accomplishment he felt to have his little world in order around him.

Then he found out there was candy in the eggs, which abruptly put an end to Easter egg hunter and started the candy eating. 

At the park, they dump the candy into the baskets and reuse the plastic eggs.  i think that is a wonderful idea.  it saves me from having to throw them out.

AND I almost got a picture with both kids smiling.  Too bad peanut was taunting me with the last bit of sour twizzlers while holding it in front of her mouth.

Wye Mountain

I was worried with the weather being so weird that we would miss out on our annual trip to wye mountain, but we made it.  BabyP took a 15 minute nap in the car so he was ready to go.  Sister was manic and picky flowers which resulted in her crying when left.  None the less, the weather was beautiful, and the pictures were great!

 

A short post

The kids are saying some funny things lately.

BabyP.

• His default for everything is "okay momma".  I love it.  
• He is really testing the waters.  We had to go home from the park the other day because he was throwing rocks.  Saying no and a time out did not work.  As we were leaving, he turned around grabbed a handful of rocks and threw them.  Jerk.
• He was sick on Monday, but we had a good time anyway.  
• The other day he said "oooohhhh toooodddlllesss.  It's Mickey!"

Peanut

• Peanut's teachers are telling us how great she is and how sweet she is.  It makes me really proud.  
• I think she has worked on her attitude, which makes me extremely happy.  She has been so fun to be around lately.
• She is really into Mary Poppins right now and can't wait for the "Step-In-Time" song to come on.  She jumps up and gets really excited.
• She loves Classical music.
• Unfortunatley, I can't remember any of the cute or funny things she has been saying right now, but rest assured, she keeps us on our toes.

Dragon Slayer

Brownie Ledbetter died this week at 77 of Brain Cancer. It almost seems like that is the cruelest way to go for someone who was so bright and energetic. I am sure Brownie was into everything prior to the Little Rock Central High crisis, but she play an integral as part of the Women's Emergency Committee (WEC) to end the standstill and get all of Little Rock's children back to school. She was living oversees when she got a phone call that the National guard had rolled into Central. She had attended Central when Central was still Little Rock High.

The WEC eventually turned into the Arkansas Public Policy Panel. She was the director for many years before she handed over the reins to our good friend Bill. Brownie was a tireless fighter for what was right. She worked to get money for rape crisis centers. She helped to introduce term limits. She fought for equal funding for schools through out the state even the ones that are small, poor and full of people that do not look like her.  She had her hand is so many good pieces of legislation that I wouldn't know where to start. 

Brownie was tall. Very tall. There aren't many women I can look straight in the eye, but Brownie I could. She was a classy Southern woman who was always taking care of people. I remember her being at Mr. T, Bill and Perry's bachelor pad and messing around in their kitchen. I don't know if she was cooking or cleaning, but I remember being amazed that she would even step foot in the kitchen of 3 twenty something bachelor men.

But that is just the way she was. She was approachable. She didn't have to be. She could have retired and moved to Dauphin Island or lazed around with her grandchildren all day, but she didn't. She continue to fight for the disadvantaged. She continued to visit the state legislatures. She continued to do what was right, and I am so thankful she did.

Handy Manny

After our Saturday morning pastry session, we headed over to the "other" mall to meet Handy Manny.  We never actaully saw Handy manny, but we did get to do some coloring and make a liscense plate.  They had games and place to watch Disney music videos.  Peanut was very interested in participating in the activities, and BabyP was interested in running away in a crowded place.

One of the games the cast from radio disney played was a Handy Manny game.  Peanut knew all the answers, but the ladies with the microphone were not near us.  The people around us were getting prizes because Peanut was telling them the answers.  Finally the nice girl with the big blue ribbon in her hair pointed the microphone to us to answer the question.  Peanut froze.  She shoved her face into my hip and said "I'm embarressed."  The sad part was that she knew the answer.  Poor girl.

She was really disspointed.  She really wanted the prize.  (on a side note she was a little confused and thought the prize was a big toy, but really it was just a card with a Disney character on it).  She kept telling me how she lost.  I explained to her that it can happen to everyone.  I told her that I get nervous in front of people and she will just need to get used to doing it.  She will get better.  There is always a next time.

 
Hey did I mention I made those sweaters?  Anyway, she seemed a lot better toward the end of the day, but it took her about that long to get over it.  Poor kid.  Being 4 isn't easy.

Another long post

It is hard to talk about the boring stuff of day to day life.  Lately, it seems like that is what we are doing a lot of, the boring stuff.  I hate to even say that life has been full of boring stuff, because a lot of life is just one long list of boring stuff that has to happen. 

And then you have kids.  Then the boring stuff is less boring but takes twice the time it really should.

Peanut has been really into her letter and number lately.  She is very good at writing her name now, but more than that, she is interested in reading.  I wouldn't say that she is reading, but she is very interested in the sounds that letter make and how to spell people's names.  This whole world has just opened up to her, and it is pretty exciting to see.  Her teacher has remarked on how she is really working on getting her letters down.

She has decided that she is going to have to marry her brother.  "Well, I love him a lot.  I don't want to marry anyone else."  I tried to explain to her that she may be tired of being with her little brother by the time it is time to get married, but you will be surprised to know that she had already made up her mind.  She even calls him husband from time to time.  "See husband, this is the baby I had for you."  

Peanut came home the other day and wanted me to take her picture.  She wanted some pictures taken in her Easter outfit.  She had it all figured out;  she wanted the umbrella, a chair and a rose.  I was able to get away with not having the chair.  I loved the way they turned out.  Looking at the pictures makes me kind of sad because I can see the last little bit of baby in her.  She won't have those chubby arms in a year or two.  She is turning into such a beautiful little girl.

BabyP continues to be my little boy.  He divides the world into two types of people:  momma and people who are not momma.  His talking has improved to the point where other people can understand what he is saying.  His teacher tells me lots of stories about what he tells other people during the day.  She always has a kind thing to say about him, which makes me feel so good.

This picture was taken after a struggle with sister for the empty rice container that contains some unpopped pop-corn ("MY POPCORN").  He is wearing a dragon costume (his "jacket") with a rice container with popcorn in it while sitting in a basket.  He was so purposeful about getting into the basket right after he won the tug of war, that I had to get his picture.

I dread the day when he no longer wants to dress up in his sister's clothes.  I have to say, that I think it is adorable to see him half dressed in his sisters tutu.  

I am not so sure what is going on in this picture.  She was having a picnic with her bear, sally b. cook. dressed in one of her church dresses and propped up against the trash can.

We have been talking a lot in our house about using our words to express our emotions. It isn't an easy concept for an almost 2 year old to understand. It is a hard balance because I am trying to get BabyP to express that he is upset with his words while trying to get his sister to not express so much. I am trying to get Peanut to see all the emotions swirling around her are because she is tired and not taking a nap was her choice. On the flip side, I want BabyP to tell me his upset and trying to take some of the blame off of him to make him feel better.

Weekend

I am finally starting to get over the cold that I have had.  It has had me worn out.  When the kids go to bed, I just crawl into my own and zone out on TV. I have not been a very good blogger lately.

Mr. T. worked all weekend, so the kids and I were on our own.  Except for my mtn bike ride this morning, it was pretty much just me and the kids from morning until BabyP was in bed.  Normally, it wouldn't be such a big deal, but since Peanut has been in the "red zone" lately, it gives me pause to be home with both of them alone.

We were able to get out to one of Peanut's old (and soon to be new) school mate's birthday party.  It was a beautiful day at the park, and minus one crazed squirrel, it couldn't have been a nicer party.  It was nice to get outside finally and do some running.  The weather here over the weekend couldn't have been better.

 Peanut continues to be a real pill.  She has taken to having these awful meltdowns that just don't seem to go away.  I want to blame it on her not taking her nap, but even with a nap today, she lost it.  Maybe it is something she is learning that gets on my nerves faster than fast.  It really catches me off guard to have my sweet easy going girl fly off the handle.  The weird part, and hard part, is that it usually starts when she does something naughty, and I send her to her room.  Shouldn't the two year old be the one I am trying to calm from having tantrums? I have tried being understanding.  I have tried ignoring her.  I even tried yelling at her today (which worked by the way).  I want them to stop.

On the bright side, she can be so sweet.  She continues to be really patient with her brother.  She is really into doing drawings right now.  She likes to draw people with their clothes on.  She can do this whole story around her drawings, which is pretty exciting.  I have taken some of them and hung them up at work.  She has also decided that it is time to get serious about her penmanship.  Instead of giving her teacher a hard time when it is time to write, she just sits down and does it.  She no longer has to be coerced.  Her penmanship has also taken a wild turn for the better.  It is really weird how it all happened almost over night.

The littlest boy is doing wonderfully.  He is really into saying "hi" and "okay mama".  He can parrot most phrases; although, the one he uses are not as diverse.  He is learning to control his hitting when he gets angry, which makes me really proud.  (But probably makes his sister happiest of all since she was the one who usually gets hit.)  He has become an expert jumper.  He can do a couple of short jumps in succession.  He always says "JUMP!  JUMP! JUMP!" while he is doing it.  Then he yells "YAY" when he is done.  He thinks that every song you sing deserves a clap at the end, too.

So his sister says "Hey momma.  Who am I? HI! HI! HI! HI!"  It is funny because it really does sound a lot like BabyP.  He does it in this really high and upbeat voice.  When he hears it, he starts laughing.  I feel blessed that those kids love one another so much.  It even allows me a bit of peace while they play downstairs.

Saturday Mornings

So when Mr. T. has something going on in the morning, I try to keep the kids occupied by going to the zoo.  Before we go to the zoo, we I like to stop by the local pastry shop for our mid morning snack.  Depending on how our morning goes, Peanut may have chocolate milk while young BabyP will have juice (or coconut milk if he hasn't drank it all). 

Shortly after I took this picture of our young miss said "ACTUALLY, I didn't wear a shirt or a dress."  I felt under her sweater and sure enough, she wasn't wearing a shirt.  I thought it was so funny because she was trying to pull something over on me.  She was practically busting when she finally told me.  I told her it was fine, but that if she got hot, she wouldn't be able to take her sweater off. 

He was so proud to be sitting in the chair like a big boy.  I think I need to let him be a big boy more often.  He is really starting to be interested in it.  He no longer wants to be held all the time and will walk on his own from time to time.  When his sister and I set our drinks on the table he leaned down low to make sure his sippy cup was on the table too. 

Here is someone talking to her new best friend.  She was telling her reflection that she was beautiful.  She probably talked to herself for about 5 minutes, which was fine by me because it gave me some time just to zone out and look around.

This one is just for good measure.  I took this at the zoo right after he heard a helicopter.  I wish I could have gotten a picture of his face.  I love the look of wonder that kids get.  I do like that this picture.  I kind of want to chew on his belly.

So Good

The kids have been so good lately.  We had to a really enjoyable weekend where we got to play outside and do errands. 

Saturday started off kind of rocky because peanut had to learn a "life lesson".  It has been taking a crazy amount of time to get ready or get out the door or do anything we ask.  Long story short, I AGAIN told her if she didn't get ready like I asked she was going to get left at home.  AND AGAIN, she did not listen.  So I left her.  Thank Goodness Mr. T, was home because she went off the deep end.  It made me tear up to see the anguish on her face. When I got back about 20 minutes later, she was still crying.  I gave her a big hug and we went to the park. 

I want her to remain spirited, but I also need a bit of cooperation from her to get things done.  She is four now, and there are just basic things I need her to do to get out the door.  I can not stand over her and fight her to put on her clothes.  I don't care if they match, but I do want them to be appropriate for the activity. 

Since then, she has been spot on good.  It is like she was pushing us to see where the limit was and since she found it, she is back to being my sweet good natured child.  I hope we get at least a couple of weeks of peace before she starts to push back again.