Growing Up

My kids are growing up. Yeah, I know...duh! But it seems like they are growing up extremely fast as of late.

When I signed Gabriel up for T-Ball, I thought to myself, "Gee. He's 5. This is the first sporting program in what potentially will be a very long line of sports for him." When I registered him for Kindergarten, I realized that he really, truly is a bonafide Big Boy now. When he amazed me this week by recognizing over 50 of his sight words, I was thrilled. I was even more thrilled when he picked up a "Dick and Jane" book and read the first five pages! He read half of "Hop On Pop" yesterday, and I just sat and stared at him. He's growing up! And I'm getting more and more excited! I'm not the slightest bit saddened, and this doesn't feel at all bittersweet.

Elliott's growing up, too, but she seems to be having a few "pains". Or maybe it's me that has pain...as in Elliott is a pain in my butt. She grows through phases where she is incredibly sweet and cooperative...and then she turns into a raging three year-old beast. She whines, cries, screams, throws tantrums (for hours!), hit, kicks, bites...you get the idea. After sitting down (with a glass of wine) and thinking about it, I realized that all of her "beastly phases" coincide directly with a growth spurt. So...hopefully she'll grow up. Soon. All of this being said, for some reason I do miss my wee little Elliott. It feels very bittersweet that she's such a turd...I mean Big Girl.

Janna's almost 2. And I have no idea how that happened. She's still my "baby", only she's not really a baby anymore. She's about 50% potty-trained, uses complete sentences, is starting to pedal a tricycle...she's just growing up. Which is also very exciting. And not sad...which surprises me.

It's Been A While...

Things around here have been insane!! So insane that I haven't had a chance to post anything even remotely interesting for weeks. So...to recap...

We went home for Memorial Day. The highlight of the trip for Elliott was going yard sale-ing with Gramma. Miss E had "7 cash monies" to spend on whatever she wanted. She spent $2 of it on "normal" girly things - a Barbie nightie, Barbie skirt, and a Cinderella dress. She spent $5 on this:

As soon as the mask is placed over her face, she says, "Please, Mommy. Call me Darth Vader. Not Elliott." The mask (which of course has caused all kinds of issues in our house because a certain Boy loves Star Wars more than life itself) "talks" and has a voice changing thingy. All kinds of fun.

Gabe's favorite part of being home was riding the 4-wheeler. Personally, I think the things are extremely dangerous and I will never ride one. I hate it when Jon takes the kids out, but I'm overruled.

Janna's favorite part of the weekend, aside from simply being at Gramma's (the girl is a mini-me...enamored with her Gramma), was getting her "new" bike and helmet.

Since we got home, things have been quietly busy around here. Gabe's still in school - and doing very well. He's registered for Kindergarten, too. I chose to sign him up for the multi-age classroom (provided he gets in, he will be in a class with Kindergartners and 1st graders - and I think he'll do extremely well). He's also still enjoying T-Ball, and he's actually getting better!!

Elliott's once again pushing all of my buttons with her refusal to eat...listen...leave her siblings alone...you get the idea. While I realize she's three, and her behavior is "typical" of the age - it's annoying. And it's making me crazy. Here's to hoping that she'll calm down a bit over the summer!

Miss Janna is still pretty easy. She's very chatty and attitudinal (gee, wonder where she gets that?!). She started using complete sentences, and the kid can count to 20! I can't believe she'll be two in a few weeks.

So there you have it. A very short recap of what's been happening around here. A whole lot of nothing that actually keeps us all fairly busy!!

Odds and Ends...

I work best when I list things...so deal.

1) Yesterday was MY Mother's Day. Last Sunday? Doesn't count. My husband dropped the ball in a major way and he asked for a Do-Over. Of course I agreed. When I came downstairs, I was greeted with pictures from the kiddos, a french vanilla latte, donut holes, and promises. Promises of a clean second floor bathroom, to rearrange Girls' bedroom, all of the laundry done before a certain Man leaves for Chicago, and more importantly...a promise to remember, respect, and above all else appreciate all that I do for this family.

The day was fantastic. We went to Wally World for a few things, and I got to pick out my Mother's Day gift. While I really wanted a new piece of Vera (I covet the new Bali Blue pattern), I chose something else I also really wanted...a hummingbird feeder (and a 20 pound bag of wild bird seed). We came home and the kids went to bed. While they were napping, Jon started in on the laundry and he finished cleaning the bathroom. Call me crazy, but there is nothing sexier than a man on his hands and knees scrubbing mildew and other scum out of the shower tiles with a toothbrush (ok -if the man were either John Krasinski or Hugh Laurie it might be a little sexier). Since Elliott decided not to nap, I put her to work. Cleaning her room. She reluctantly agreed, and we were able to rearrange the whole room and move Janna into her toddler bed (she's been trying her hardest to climb out of the crib lately, and the last thing I need is for her to fall out and hurt herself. So, toddler bed it is. Until July. When Gram and Gramps get her her Big Girl Bed.). While we were arranging, flowers were delivered. I was totally surprised, and it was the perfect end to a wonderful afternoon. My only complaint about the day is that Jon could have (and should have) put the effort and thought into making my Mother's Day great last week.

2) Jon's thoughtlessness about Mother's Day wasn't the only thing that made the day kind of crappy. The kids' behavior was also to blame. They were just so naughty. So I decided to try something new - marble jars. The sticker charts just aren't getting the job done anymore. The kids don't care. I'm sure the magic of marbles will soon wear off, but for right now they are working wonderfully! The kids want to earn marbles. They want to see the jars fill up. They want to see what kind of surprise they will get if they earn the required amount of marbles at the end of the week. So we'll see. The rules are simple: at the end of the week, Gabriel and Elliott need to have at least 15 marbles to get the special reward. Janna needs 20 (since she's potty-training, we give her a marble for every time she actually goes on the potty). The special reward will be some sort of outing - to be chosen by the kiddo with the most marbles. Last week's tally: Gabriel (13), Elliott (10), Janna (19). Not too bad!!

3) Last night was Janna's first night in her toddler bed! She started the night out in the bed, but she had to be moved to the pack 'n play...because her Sister wouldn't STFU. Obviously, Janna decided that it would be more fun to mess around, but she was genuinely tired. Had Elliott not been a PITA, she just might have gone to sleep. Oh well. We are going to keep her in the p 'n p for now (and move her once she and Elliott are both asleep) . Starting July 1, Bedtime Boot Camp will commence.

4) I have something to confess. I have a mini-crush. On 4 dudes. Named Rich, Scott, Dave, and Smitty. I want to put my number in their bag!

Weekly Weigh-Ins!!

The Last Two Weeks: Have been insane!! Between random kid activities, MOMS Club, and family stuff I haven't had time to post anything. To recap...

Gabriel's still playing T-Ball...and the poor kid still has no clue what's going on. He spends all of his time throwing himself to the ground in boredom. It's funny...and annoying at the same time. His behavior in school has been less than exemplary as of late, but we're dealing with it. His teacher started a behavior chart for him, and every Friday she sends it home. The first week wasn't so good - 3 stars out of 15. He was disappointed with himself and he promised he would try harder. This week? 13 stars out of 15!! He was so proud of himself when he saw all of the stickers! And of course I was (and still am) exceedingly proud of him, too.

Gabriel and his chart!

Elliott has probably been the busiest of all of the kids. She's only in preschool twice a week, but those days are crazy! Last week she had a Mother's Day Tea Party...and it was wonderful. She was so excited to get all dressed up and drink tea like a big girl. It was adorable. And because she's only in school on Tuesdays and Thursdays, she has the opportunity for more outings than Gabriel. Last Friday, Erin and I took our 4 Little Ladies to see Thomas. I bought the tickets in January thinking that Gabriel would still want to go. He informed me about 2 weeks after I bought them that he no longer wanted Thomas stuff...he was too big for it. I was annoyed, but figured I'd just make him go anyways. We kept talking about it, but I realized that he really didn't want to go - he wanted to go on a "man date" with Jon instead. So I asked Erin if she thought her girls would like it. The Girls loved it! They were really good, too. It was tons of fun, and I'm so glad we all went. Her last day of school is next week...and I'm not quite sure how to deal with that. It's been so nice to have her gone two mornings a week! And no, I don't feel guilty about saying that out load at all. Her behavior sucks lately, and the small breaks have been welcome.

Elliott and I at her Mother's Day Tea Party. Notice our matching Vera Bradley dress/purse?

Janna Banana has had a busy few weeks, too. She gets to do everything because she's still fairly easy to drag anywhere - and she's usually content with being dragged (and when she's not being cooperative, I can "buy" good behavior by giving her a pack of gummies) . Right now her favorite things are Thomas, babies, flowers, and talking. The kid's language skills are insane! She's starting to use actual sentences, and she learns a new word every day. The explosion of language is my favorite thing about this stage of growing up. My least favorite part? The sudden propensity towards tantrum throwing.

Janna loves flowers! She has been harassing the lilacs in the backyard all week!

The Weight: Has been pretty much holding steady. I think I've finally reached the "maintenance" level. I lose a pound, I gain a pound. And I'm ok with that!! So, total weight loss: between 66 and 67 pounds!

Athletic Supporter

If you know me, then you know that sports are not one of my favorite things. They're not any of my favorite things. In fact, I pretty much loathe any and all sports. I hate watching them, hearing about them, participating in them...hate, hate, hate. I just don't care. Never have, probably never will. And I totally hit the sports-hating jackpot when I got married - Jon doesn't like sports (other than running) either. SCORE!

But today I was a willing athletic supporter. Gabriel's first T-Ball game was this morning, and like a good Mommy I sat on the sidelines and cheered my clueless little man on. Most other kids at least had some sort of idea about what to do other than hit the ball off the tee and run away. They knew where the bases were, how to throw the ball, who to throw the ball to. Gabe? Not a clue. Poor kid. He spent most of his time throwing dirt and dandelions at other players and rolling on the ground. He had fun, though, and I guess that's all that matters!