Busy Little Toddlers Make for Very Busy Momma

I know most people would tell me "it is just the age," but I think Madeline's busyness is far from over because of her adventurous personality.  Her nickname as "Little Destroyer" holds truer today than it did a few months ago.  If I don't watch her 'like a hawk' (which every mom knows is nearly impossible to do if you want to get anything else done around the house) then she gets into some sort of trouble.  Trouble that often consists of playing in the toilet, eating toothpaste, drawing on Paul's desk or the couch, ripping books, 'playing' on the computer, or pushing a chair up to the counter and eating candy...but could easily be any number of things the mind could conjurer up.  She is definitely not one of those children you can tell once not to do something and they never try it again....I have never been blessed with such a child;)  Since she can't open doors yet (thank goodness), we try to keep bathrooms, offices, etc. closed, but if any of them are left open even for 2 seconds, she makes a b-line for the room and begins her destruction.  Our kitchen chairs are constantly left turned on their side to avoid her climbing on the table, but now she is learning to tip them back up and uses them to get things she wants that are normally too high for her.

Madeline sneaking candy on the counter

Maybe I am just getting lazy in my increasingly pregnant state, but that girl wears me out!  One day we were playing on the playground and Rose and Ava both wanted to try the monkey bars.  I helped them both across and turn around to find Madeline on the top rung of the ladder, barely holding on, wanting a turn next.  She does not realize that she is smaller than the other girls and physically just can't do everything they do.  And usually when we tell her 'no' or 'stop' she continues what she is doing more aggressively.  I guess that is most toddlers, though, right?!

Madeline putting on 'lipstick' with a permanent marker
(note: her sweet hair)

I think I might know where Madeline gets her mischievousness....her oldest sister.  Rose finds very creative ways to use her 'quiet time' in the afternoons.  Although she occupies herself very well, mom is not always so thrilled with the results.  The other day I went upstairs to tell her she could get up and this is what I found:

She managed to get every piece of clothing out of every drawer and scatter it around the room!  When asked what she was doing, she said she was just trying things on.  The not very fun part was 'clean-up' time, which of course at this age needs lots of parental supervision and direction.

I guess they say 'they're keeping me young' by keeping me on my feet, right?!  One thing is for certain...life with toddlers is never dull or boring:)  I truly wouldn't have it any other way!!!

Hugs!

Growing Like Weeds

Sometimes I have to take a step back and make sure I am enjoying every moment with my girls because before I know it, my little Rose will be 5!  That just doesn't seem possible!  But truth be told, she is needing Paul and I less and less and is becoming more and more of a help to me.  A couple of weeks ago, we were running late, like usual, and I asked her if she could try to get Madeline dressed for me and she did!  If you give her a task, she is pretty determined to show us that she can do it by herself.  Just recently she learned to ride a two-wheeler and in a matter of two days has become quite the little pro.  She can start, stop, and turn around without any assistance.  All we have to do now is watch and hope she and Ava don't run into each other:)  She can now do cartwheels, handstands, write Mommy and Daddy and many other words, etc.

View a video of Rose's bike riding skills here:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/17286448/MVI_1170.AVI.wmv

Rose's determination and fearlessness are good examples for Ava.  The naturally more shy and unsure Ava quickly gains confidence when she sees Rose do something, because she wants to be like her big sister.  The girls are taking private swimming lessons together and although Ava had a rough first lesson, she calmed down with the comfort of big sister.  Now she will try to doggie-paddle by herself, go under the water, and whatever else the swim instructor asks of her.  We are so proud...that is a big step for her!  It is amazing to see how comfortable she is in the water after getting over her fears the first lesson.  Hopefully these lessons will make visits to the pool a little less stressful!

Blowing bubbles with Ms. BJ

Many times even my little Madeline acts more like a 3 year old than a 20 month old because she tries to mimic her sisters.  She insists on being included in everything they do.  I especially love when she plays pretend with the big girls.  The other day she had dress-up shoes on, a purse on her shoulder, turned to wave and say, "Bye!"  I asked her if she was going to the store and she said yeah and walked off.  She will also crawl around the floor pretending to be a baby or sometimes an animal.  It cracks me up:)  

Madeline helping ice Easter cookies

I feel very blessed to have 3 wonderful little girls.  I just wish I could freeze some moments with them and make them last forever!

Hugs!

Clothes, Clothes, Clothes

You often hear parents' say, "I hope you have a child just like you when you're a parent!"  Well, it always seem to work out just that way.  Rose acts very much like I did when I was a toddler.  For one, she is VERY picky about what clothes she wears.  She always wants to wear a dress or skirt...and not just any dress or skirt, of course.  We have had our fair share of meltdowns over what she should wear that day.  My mom said when I was her age, she would make me pick out my clothes for the entire week and hang them in my closet accordingly so that I couldn't argue with her every morning...maybe that's not such a bad idea:)

Maybe I shouldn't care so much...my friend Kathy let her 4 year-old wear his polo shirt backwards one day just because he wanted to and I once saw a 4 year old girl carry up the gifts at mass completely decked out in a Cinderella costume and dress up shoes:)  I am getting better about letting them wear whatever they want to go outside and play and I don't even make them get their hair done everytime.  They actually love it when Paul does their hair before they go outside because he lets them stand on the kitchen table and puts it in a ponytail/bun.

Ava is starting to get picky about her clothes too.  I don't know if it's because of Rose's example...Paul says it's because they take after their mother;)  Ava loves dresses too, but her favorite thing to wear lately is her swimsuit.  I think every day for the last month or so, Ava has come down from her nap in a swimsuit and a pair of shoes.  She loves to try on all the shoes in her drawer.  And she comes up with some pretty interesting combinations (see photo below).  Dress-up is a big part of our lives right now!

Luckily Madeline doesn't care what clothes I put on her.  Today she did learn to take her shirt off by herself though.  We were playing outside and she kept pulling her shirt over her head.  No more loose shirts for her!

*Side note: Tonight at dinner Ava asked Rose why she got to have more apples and Rose so humbly replied, "Because I'm awesome!"  I about died laughing.  What would we do without the innocence of children:)

Hugs!

Boston Getaway

As most of you know, Paul and I just got back from a weekend in Boston...just the two of us.  The week before we left we realized we had not been away overnight with just the two of us since I was pregnant with Rose!  We have gone places since then, but not by ourselves.  Needless to say we had a great time and got to do many things that would have been hard to do with kids.  We walked a TON, went on boat cruises, went to a brewery, went to nice dinners and bars, etc...we saw pretty much everything we wanted to see.  And we couldn't have asked for nicer weather! 

This is the Duck Boat we went on that took us on a tour through Boston on land and in water.

On the plane ride home, there was a couple in front of us with a baby Madeline's age, then a family beside us with girls Rose and Ava's age.  Although the flight was only about an hour, the parents struggled to keep them occupied without bothering other passengers for the duration of the flight.  It sure made me miss my girls when I saw their cute little faces, but it also made me enjoy the peacefulness of my flight all the more.  Soon enough I would resume my responsibilities as a mother:)  Olivia and Jack picked me up from the airport and brought baby Madeline with them.  She looked so much bigger to me!  I was so happy to hold her and snuggle her...I had missed my sweet baby.  When I got to my parents' house, Rose and Ava greeted me with open arms...you can't beat the unconditional love of toddlers!

We came to the conclusion at the end of our trip that we are going to try to get away overnight (for at least one night) every 6 months or so.  It is so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day activities of our children, that we don't spend the time to really talk (about things other than work or the kids) or do activities together.  Plus, the break from responsiblity for a night refreshes us so that we come back happier, nicer parents. 

And we are lucky to have such great families who enabled us to have a worry-free trip, knowing our girls were in good hands.  Thank you!

Hugs!

Big Girl Rose

Now that Rose is 4 years old, she believes she is a real "big kid."  I think to Rose 4 is the new 16.  She thinks now that she is 4, she should be able to do things big kids do, like not take a nap, not sit in a carseat, stay up late, make her own lunch...

The other day she said, "I wanna make my own peanut butter and jelly sandwich because I'm 4 now and I know how to do it by myself."  So I got out all the things she needed and she spread the pb and jelly on by herself...she was very precise...covering every inch of the bread.  I couldn't have made it better myself!

Then she finished all her watermelon at dinner and feeling very proud of herself she said, "I ate all my watermelon, so I must be four!"  And when I tell her she has done something well, she says, "That's because I'm four and I always do what you want me to, Mom!"  Her favorite number is 21, so if she ever quantifies something that she thinks is a lot, she will use the number 21.  If she sleeps past 7:30 in the morning she'll say, "I slept a long time...like 21 hours!  That's because I'm 4."

She is funny with the things she says.  She will often say to me very seriously, "Mom, I wish I was a real mermaid."  Or if I won't let her have a certain snack or do something she wants, she will say, "I wish I lived at Ally's house, because her Mommy lets her have fruit strips for a snack."

She is getting so grown up.  I took her school shopping on Saturday...just her and me.  It was nice to have one-on-one time with her.  She felt like such a big girl because she got to skip her nap that day.  She is very excited about school, so I can't help but be excited for her.  But it is also bittersweet for me, because I can't believe she is old enough to go to school.  It's only for 2 mornings a week, but I am going to miss my little helper.  She is always watching out for her little sisters and is more than willing to help me when I ask...I am going to miss that.  And Ava won't know what to do without her!  ...It all starts this year. 

Hugs!

Little Miss Personality

In the past month or so, our little Madeline has developed quite a cute little personality.  It is amazing to me how much they pick up on at just 11 months!  She's aware now of what's happening when we take something away from her and lets out a loud cry letting us know she is not happy with what we just did!  Don't even think about taking a toothbrush away from her...it will not be pretty!  I had to get a toothbrush for her just so I could brush my teeth with my own toothbrush!  She also has this pitiful, fake little sad face that she makes when she is unhappy...usually winning us over every time. 

As many of you know, Madeline is our squirmiest baby...she doesn't like to hold still...ever!  She will hold her hands up wanting to be held, but then squirm back down in a matter of seconds...then do it all over again.  Her favorite thing to do now is climb the stairs...she'll usually stop halfway to see if I'm looking, then race the rest of the way up when she sees me coming.  Another thing she discovered how to do is to stand on top of the dishwasher when I am trying to load it.  I have to load as quickly as I can to try to avoid the wrath of the "Little Destroyer" as we call her.  This is the age when she is into everything.  All the contents from our drawers often end up all over the floor.

She constantly learning from her big sisters, Rose and Ava and will try to imitate them...never wanting to be left out.  She knows to draw on the sidewalk with chalk...although I believe she thinks that eating it is a better use of her time.  And just the other night at bedtime, I was reading Rose and Ava some books and Madeline was entertaining herself in their bedroom.  She found a backpack and tried to put it on her back...she almost got it right.  Then she found a headband that she tried to put on her head and walked around the room like that, carrying a blankie.  She was pretty proud of hereself:)

This is such a fun age of discovery and Madeline is such a sweet, happy little girl...we can't help but pick her up and snuggle her.

Hugs!

Preparing for the Unexpected

As a parent, you always try to be prepared for anything and everything that could go wrong at any time.  However, I think every parent will agree that there are often unexpected events that occur that you could never possibly prepare for.  Parents have to be quick-thinking and try to handle the situation with as much grace and poise as possible, even if we are truly freaking out inside.  For example, the daily dealings of a two year-old can quickly go from sweet to sour without an ounce of notice.

As many of you have already heard, we had such a situation this past weekend, when Rose and Ava posed as flower girls for their Uncle Ben's wedding.  Knowing how tempermental Ava can be, we tried to be prepared for the worst, with my Dad waiting in the back of the church, pacifier in hand, in case she freaked out and wouldn't walk down the aisle.  We had Rose and the other 7 year-old flower girl hold her hand and we tried to plan for them to sit down immediately after the reached the front to avoid distracting the guests.  Well, all this planning proved to be of no help with what actually went down that day.  After successfully walking down the aisle, Paul and I watched helplessly from the sidelines (because we both had a part in the ceremony) as Ava begins to fuss and decides to throw her flower girl basket in the middle of the aisle.  As her wailing gets increasing louder, I worry that the guests can not hear the preacher so I motion her to join me on the altar where I was waiting to read.  As she walks loudly up the steps to me, she steps on the bottom of her dress and falls flat on the floor.  Quickly I try to scoop her up and carry her out the side entrance of the church.  Luckily my Dad was quick on his feet and met me at the door so I could be back in time to do my reading. 

...Things went pretty much went as bad as they could go.  After the wedding, Paul and I replayed the events over and over in our heads coming up with multiple things we could have done to make things go smoother.  But the truth is, you can not always prepare for the worst.  We just have to try to do the best we can with what we know at that time.

Luckily God knew what he was doing when he made 2 year-olds so stinking cute...it is hard to be upset for very long!

Hugs!