Dancing like Mommy and Daddy

This is not a real post.  This is a "I took these pictures tonight and wanted to put them somewhere other than Facebook" post.

Today was our 7th Anniversary.  Last night we had gone out for dinner, today we took the kids to the zoo and had a great family day.  We were trying to explain to them over dinner tonight what it meant that it was our anniversary and what happened when we got married.

This lead to the brilliant idea of pulling out the wedding video and watching Mommy and Daddy getting married before we put them to bed.  And this is what happened, while we got married on the TV in the background.

Happy Anniversary to us!  I love our crazy life and couldn't imagine sharing it with anyone else.  7 years!

The Birthday Blog

2013 does not seem like it is going to be a big year for this blog.  This is I believe post number 4?  In June?  And since the last post I did was birthday eve in APRIL for Pete's sake, maybe that is what this will become.  Just a place for birthday letters, because who the heck has time for anything else?

I have started and not finished two different posts.  Both of them being birthday related, because I didn't even feel like the April birthday post was enough.  There is so much going on in my house, so much going on in my head, and so much I don't want to forget about them at this age.  All three of my kids are getting so big.  It is ridiculous the conversations we have, the thoughts in their brains, the sweet moments, the sassy moments and everything in between.  

Today was Mia's birthday party.  Tomorrow is her second birthday, and I want it to just stop.  I don't want her to get any bigger.  Sure the diapers will probably get old, but she is just so damn sweet and funny, and cute.  She tells you everything she is thinking, narrates everything she is doing.  She is bossy, and funny, and I just want to bottle her up and keep her like this, just like this.  We won't get these moments back, we won't remember all of them forever, and it makes me incredibly sad to think about that.  

My baby is going to be two tomorrow.  Stop growing, Miss Mia, just stop.  

Dear Mia, 

I have 53 minutes before it is officially your birthday.  You passed out a little before 8 since nap was skipped today, and you were exhausted.  I thought it would be easy to sit down and write this post since you were sleeping and every kid in this house was in bed by 8:30.  

Except right now, running around in my living room, dragging her milk in her new wagon, rolling the bean bag chair around and repeating "I trying" and having a dance party in the living room is my little party girl.  

I don't have a sibling dynamic to fall back on for reference, but I seem to remember friends of mine who were the older siblings complaining about how the baby in the family is spoiled and can get away with anything.  So far, yeah, I can see how that happens.  You don't have a great bedtime, you are frequently awake with us well past a toddler bedtime, you can say things like "My milk, get it, get it!" and, well, we do. I am only a little embarrassed to admit that you are still rocked to sleep.  And to nap.  I blame you entirely, you are so snuggly, and warm, and you lay on my shoulder and breathe on my neck and play with my hair or rub my neck if you are particularly sleepy or in need of comfort.  After nursing for 20+ months, I got so used to our nightly routine that when I don't rock you to sleep it just feels funny.  You sometimes get plopped in bed with a "see you later", but more often then not, rocking you is a much enjoyed break in the day.  

You hug with your whole body, and give kisses on the lips.  You are such a sweet and loving little girl.  You love Mommy and Daddy, Maggie and Ben (who seem to go back and forth on who is your current favorite - you are on a Maggie kick right now), and Nama and Grandpa and your aunts and uncles.  You REALLY love your uncles.  Those big brown eyes are trouble, trouble trouble.  

You talk about everything.  There is always a little running commentary of your day coming out of your mouth.  I thought I remembered this with Maggie, but not like this.  I honestly think that if I had a two year old that didn't talk this much, they would be thinking exactly what you are saying.  Just now, wearing your pack-pack and pushing your stroller to go on "cation", you were walking, then started to run and said "I'm running!" "I running faster!". 

You sing songs and count "1, 2, 5, 6, 11" with authority.  I don't think it has ever occurred to you that you are a baby.  You are for sure just as old as your siblings, or possibly the other adults in the room.  I can't remember if Ben and Maggie were this self confident and bossy and cute.  I know it is part the age, part the youngest child thing, and probably just plain old being a girl.  You have manners, and are always saying thank you to us, to your siblings, when we are playing pretend.

You have so many funny little words for things that are repeat words.  You like to play with the pad-pad.  And you love to eat dog-dogs.  You wear around your pack-pack, and like to eat cake-cakes for breakfast.    Your best friend is your cousin Parker but you play with the big girls too, and everyone loves to play with you.    

I wish I could capture every moment and bottle it up to keep forever.  You are my little girl, you dance and run around with reckless abandon.  You like shoes, and dresses and are not to shy to tell us when you feel pretty.  You are sweet, and kind, and silly.  For the first time tonight, I managed to maneuver your hair into pigtails, and you looked so big.  So old.  So grown up.

I still maintain that having you made me complete and made me a better mommy.  You brought more sunshine into our life than we could have managed.  I never thought we would have kids so close in age, but now I can't imagine it any other way.  You are the best surprise we have ever had, and while I love all of my kids so very much, YOU will always be Mommy's little girl.

Happy Birthday Sweetheart. Daddy and I love you more than you will ever know.

Love,
Mommy

This is Three

We were putting the kids to bed tonight, and it occurred to me that tomorrow is their birthday.  Not that I didn't remember at all, but I didn't really think about it much past being the preschool helper, having a birthday treat, having to work a good chunk of the day and organizing babysitters for the day.  But in the way that a Mom who used to love pinterest, and who feels like Birthday Eve should be something special had a realization that we dropped the ball this year.  Saturday is their birthday party, and I just really started working on that this week.  But tomorrow is their actually birthday.  They will be four.  FOUR.  And then it occurred to me that every year on their birthday this is where I write something to them, for them and about them.  So instead of cleaning my house for this party we are having Saturday, I am sitting down here to make this post.  Birthday Eve.  Here we go.  

Dear Ben and Maggie,

I assume by the time you are reading this you will be older, and want to know what you were like when you were little.  Just to sum it up in my own way for tonight, here is a little you might not remember.

Three has been. . .fun.  The tantrums are worse, the logic is better, the curiosity, the imagination, the leaps and bounds of learning. . .that is three.  Three is silly, three is crazy, three is independent and sensitive and proud.  Three is loving your parents like nothing else, loving your baby sister without embarrassment and making friends with everyone you meet.  Loving the dog, following the cats, dressing up in hats and clothes, and having no self consciousness about what you wear.  Giving kisses, holding hands, and not being embarrassed by your mom or dad.

Three is believing in Santa and the Easter Bunny, and being scared of the dark and of ghosts.  Three is loving Disney, watching movies, and constantly asking for candy.  It is riding your tricycle on their own, blowing bubbles by yourself, and being completely out of pull ups, but with a lot of sheet washing.  Three is giggles, and sleepovers, and making little things special.  It is snuggling up with Mommy on the couch when you are sick, or even just because you love her.  Three is asking questions all.the.time.  It is questioning parenting decisions, whining about the results, and reasoning with the unreasonable.

Three is hide and seek where you yell out "I'm hiding in the basement" and where you count to 10, but the numbers after that are just kinda mixed up.  It's where you love books, can look at them for a long time, and where your Mommy thinks that if she just had more time, you would probably know how to read.  It is being smart, but not knowing that you are smart.  It is watching out for your baby sister, and holding her hand, and washing her hair in the bathtub, and knowing to ask Mommy if it is okay if she eats something.  It is letting her scream at you when you take something away that she can't have, but where you hold strong knowing that she is "llergic".  It is wanting one more TV show, one more glass of milk before bed, one more story, one more jelly bean, one more kiss.

Three is still falling asleep in the car if you are tired.  Three is sometimes a daily battle about sleep and naps.  Three is falling asleep with your lovely cuddled in your arms, and if you are Ben, a hand twirling your hair.  It is playing with your imagination, and pretending out loud.  It is living with your best friend and your worst enemy, but at the end of the day, still being up in each other's space without much complaining.  It is tears, and tantrums, and every bad parenting phrase I have ever uttered being yelled back at me.  It is helping with chores, and putting away clothes, and making decisions.  It is coloring pictures that look more and more like people and things every day.

Three is loud, it is sweet, it is soft and loving.  My three year olds, my sweet babies, who tomorrow will be 4, you have changed so much this year, but not at all.  You have grown socially, emotionally and just a little bit taller during this first year of Preschool.  You are still the sweetest kids, the best of friends, and still, Mommy's favorite double trouble.  I don't know what I would do without you, or what you would do without each other, or without your baby Mia.  We are a solid little family unit, full of love, laughter, and chaos.  

I am a lucky Mom.

Love,
Mommy





  

Drive By Photos

My computer keeps randomly crashing.  It was dead for two weeks, worked for two days, and then tonight decided to do it to me again until we rigged it by taking out the battery.  Now the screen just randomly goes dark.  Great for business.  Crappy for photo editing.

I ran across a few of these that I just had to put somewhere before the computer freaks out again.  Just some random March sweetness.

Oh for the love of Pete's sake.

^^^^My new favorite expression of frustration.  I heard Ben use it a couple of weeks ago, and I know it was a perfect blend of a couple of my most frustrated expressions.  Oh for the love of God (although I try to leave God out of it, and it ends up with Oh for the love,) and of course, Pete's sake.  I haven't updated this blog since January.  Oh for the love of Pete's sake! 

One thing that is a good, reasonable excuse is that I have been trying to update my real estate blog 2-3 times a week.  And since that is my job, or at least work I am doing to make my job more productive, that has been my focus.  If you want to follow me there, take a look at my real estate blog. 

The other excuses are not as good.  Busy.  Remodeling.  Children.  Candy Crush.  Ebooks.  Blah blah. 

I do have one good excuse I guess.     

 

We went to Disneyworld! 

 

There is something surreal about going to Disneyworld with your kids.  The first night when we checked in, the girl at the front asked me if it was my first time there.  It almost took me a minute, but then answered her.  No, but it is my first time here as a Mommy. 

 

I have been to Disneyworld several times in my lifetime, several of which were in my teens.  I remember it, the rides, the hotels, the feel of the parks.  But being the one in charge, doing things for your kids, and being a visitor and a mommy in the parks was something very different, and completely awesome.

 

We started out by driving down to my parents place in Florida.  The trip went surprisingly well, other than the constant potty stops.  We have discovered in the past few years that driving at night is our best option, and it worked this time too. 

 

I think the kids were changing into their suits before we unpacked the car.  We headed down to the beach where the kids did a little frolicking in the very cold water. 

 

We headed out to Disney the next day.  I have so much I could say about the trip, so much I would like to tell, but the stories can wait.  I think most of the pictures from the trip will speak for themselves. 

 

A little round up of the rest of what we have been up to since my last post, and then I am done for the night.  Hopefully someday very soon, there will be pictures of some of our remodeling projects.  And by pictures, I mean hopefully I will finally have something to take pictures of!  Slowly but surely. . .

 

Matching head wounds.  That little one definitely takes after her big brother in that respect!

All monkeys must be put to bed every night.  She has added other lovies and dollies to the mix too, so there is barely room for a Maggie in that bed at night. 

Child labor is free.  See that hole?  Ben made it all by himself.  He was so proud. 

Maggie was very enthusiastic about using the hammer. 

She was a very good and very patient painter.

Maggie has been taking a weekly ballet class.  She is adorable, the kids are adorable, and that much pink in a room is hilarious and so so cute. 

If you are a Mommy blogger, or on Facebook, you may have seen the posts making the rounds about the Mom staying in the picture.  I don't have the original link, but it really stuck with me.  These kids don't care how Mommy looks.  They don't care what I'm wearing, or what my hair looks like, or how much weight I haven't lost since having all of them.  They love me because I am their Mom, and it is such an awesome thing.  When they look back on the pictures of their childhood, I am trying to remember to just stay in the picture.  I was inspired this morning to just have fun with them. 

This picture cracked me up.  Don't they look like stinkers.  Doesn't this look like the pose of three teenagers? 

Silly faces for the camera. 

 

Silly outfits, and silly girls playing dress up.  

 

 

 My beautiful brown eyed girls. 



And a couple of my silly Valentines.  Ben was so proud to color all 16 of his dinosaur valentines.  

 

The end.  February bled into March, March wll soon be April.  I will have two four year olds in this house.  Crazy.  These crazy busy days?  I wouldn't trade them for the world, but oh for the love of Pete's sake do we need them to slow down.