Another Big Girl

Three is a pivotal age in our family because it is the age when my kids give up their beloved pacifier.  We build up this moment for a couple months before their third birthday to try to prepare them for what is going to happen.  This year it was Madeline's turn to go through this hard separation...saying goodbye to something she loves so deeply.

"When you turn 3, you are going to be a big girl," we say.  "Big girls don't have pacis," we say.  "You get to give your paci to the 'Paci Fairy' so she can bring it to a little baby who doesn't have a paci," we tell her.

Paul and I always dread this day.  We talk about how we don't know how WE are going to survive without the paci.  The paci gets us through mass, car rides, bedtime, and other stressful times peacefully.  What are we going to use to barter with her to be good?  Our strategy has to change now.  It is necessary at three, the dentist tells us...I guess we don't want them going through life with permanent buck teeth, but it is a hard separation for all of us!

We set the day about a week after Madeline's birthday.  Paul and the 2 big girls were in Cincinnati helping Ben and Brooke move, so I just had the little girls.  Like my mom did when we were little, we made a special day out of it.  We went out to lunch at Subway (her pick), then she got to pick out a treat at the store and a toy to sleep with to replace her paci.

She picked a push pop as her treat...I think it was her favorite part of the whole thing...and a Doc McStuffins doll to sleep with.

When we got home, we gathered all the pacis we could find, put them in a gift box, wrapped it with ribbon and a pretty bow, and Madeline put it on the front porch for the 'Paci Fairy' to take that night while she was sleeping.

When she woke up the next morning, the first thing she did was check the porch to see if the 'Paci Fairy' took her pacis.  I think she had to see for herself whether the Paci Fairy was really real.

The transition always goes better than anticipated.  Madeline has really done so well.  She fussed a little the first night, but didn't fuss for it again after that.  She has had some restless nights and pretty much never naps anymore...even though she needs one...but overall, I would say giving up the paci has been a success!

Now she is officially one of the big girls!

Hugs!

First Day of School

Although we started school over a month ago...I am just now getting around to posting our first day of school pictures.  I told each of the girls to pick out their favorite pair of shoes and their favorite bow to wear with their school dress.  Without further ado...

Rose: 1st Grade

We also made a list of each of the girl's favorite things.  I hope I remember to do this at the beginning of each school year...it will be fun to see how they change as they get older.

Rose’s 1st Grade Favorites

Favorite Book:  Fancy Nancy

Favorite Activity:  Gymnastics

Favorite Song:  You Don’t Know You’re Beautiful (by One Direction)

Favorite TV show:  Doc McStuffins

Favorite Movie:  Brave

Favorite Dessert:  Dirt Pudding

Favorite Toy:  Sparkle Bear

Favorite Saint:  Bl. Kateri Tekakwitha

Favorite Clothes:  ruffle church dress

Favorite thing to do with sisters:  play outside & draw with chalk

Ava: PreK 4

Ava’s Preschool Favorites

Favorite Book:  Fancy Nancy

Favorite Activity:  Playing soccer

Favorite Song:  Twinkle, Twinkle

Favorite TV show:  Doc McStuffins

Favorite Movie: Cinderella

Favorite Dessert:  Rainbow sherbert

Favorite Toy:  Panda bear

Favorite Saint:  St. Ava

Favorite Clothes:  school dress

Favorite thing to do with sisters:  have tea parties

Madeline: 3 Year-old Preschool

Madeline’s Preschool Favorites

Favorite Book:  Fancy Nancy

Favorite Activity:  Playing in the pool

Favorite Song:  Twinkle, Twinkle

Favorite TV show:  Dora

Favorite Dessert:  Sucker

Favorite Toy:  Doc McStuffins doll

Favorite Saint:  St. Madeline

Favorite Clothes:  swim-suits

Favorite thing to do with sisters:  play dress-up

School Buddies

Sisters

Silly Girls

School Room

My students ready to learn

The year has been going great so far!  We have a lot of fun outings planned for this year...hopefully I will be better about posting them on time:)

Hugs!

Bedtime

Bedtime is not the easiest time of day.  It's not the getting them in bed part, but the keeping them in bed part that we struggle with.  Because the 3 oldest girls share a room, they are constantly bothering each other and coming out of their room to tattle.  One wants all the lights off so she can sleep, one wants them on so she can read...and the battle continues.  Even if the rare occasion occurs that they are all reading nicely in their beds, at least one of them is coming out to ask Paul or me to lay with them...again.

Some nights, when this has been going on for an hour or so, I split them up so that just maybe they will leave each other alone and go to sleep...one in my bed, one on the floor in the school room, and the other in her own bed.  Then I threaten that if they come down one more time....

A couple nights, we've found Madeline, who is never quite as sleepy if she naps in the afternoon, asleep in some random spots.

Despite our struggles with getting the girls to sleep, one night after the girls were separated, I walked in the room to find Rose praying a rosary.  This was monumental because usually she is the one fighting us when we ask her to pray (because it is something that Mom and Dad want her to do).

Her good influence encouraged Ava to do the same...so sweet.  Maybe, just maybe, some of the things we are trying to teach them is actually sinking in!

Then another night, I went up to check on the girls, and saw this...

They had each made an altar with a statue, a rosary, and some sort of religious book..."because I want to be a sister when I grow up," Rose told me.  She knows just how to melt my heart! :)

Madeline turns 3!

I am about a month late on posts these days...there has been so much going on...I have tons of posts I want to do and little time to do them!

Madeline turned 3 on August 17.  Lucky little girl got to have multiple birthday celebrations this year.

The girls and I went to Carmel on August 15-17 when Paul was out of town, so we got to do a joint birthday celebration with Madeline and Jack, whose birthday is August 14.  Everyone in town came over for dinner, dessert, and presents.  It is always so fun to celebrate with the family!

Jack picked the menu for dinner that night and they both agreed that dirt pudding sounded good for dessert.  However, when it came time for dessert, all Madeline wanted was a black and white sucker leftover from Jack's party.  She sat in that chair until the whole sucker was gone...I think that sucker was her favorite part of the birthday celebration.

Opening presents.

The next day, Friday, was her real birthday and she got to ride the train at the mall (a big treat!) and was given a special birthday crown and pin at the Disney store.

On Saturday, we celebrated in Louisville with Paul with a family dinner and presents.

And on Sunday, we had a little party for her with our friends, the McCarthys, and Paul's cousin's family, the Downeys.  We set up an inflatable water slide in the backyard and cooked burgers and brats on the grill.

Of course she picked Dora on her birthday cake for the second year in a row (...I should be a pro at Dora by now!).

And what kind of party would it have been without a pinata?!

The kids all got a turn hitting the pinata, but when we needed some muscle to rip it open, Paul happily took a whack at it.

After 2 hits, candy was flying everywhere!

It was a great night!  So glad Madeline has good friends to share it with.

Hugs!