Merry ThanksChristmaween!

The stores have all dragged out their holiday offerings NOW.NOW as in every store I walked into last month including the gift shop at the zoo.
For most of us it brings forth feelings of rage and hate. Kelsea is in heaven- or would be if I allowed her obsession with allthingsRUDOLPH to blossom into the full sized freak show she wants it to be. She is happy because the stores have all of their Christmas offerings on display now. She asked me if I would please buy her "everything reindeer" that she sees. I had to explain that that is simply not possible.
She was Rudolph for Halloween. The only costume I could find was on the internet(thanks Al Gore) and it said it would fit sizes 2T to 4T. It was made for 2T. I had to cut the feet off. I also had to replace the brown nose with a red one as it was very upsetting for her to see Rudolph in the wrong colored nose.
So we went through the neighborhoods with her leading her sisters across the lawns . I called out "On Dasher on Dancer...you know the rest...
The next 2 months are going to be long. I am going to try to join her in her excitement.She will have to wait for me to catch up after Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving- which is a holiday I enjoy but really seems to have gotten the shaft this year as far as excitement for it's arrival in the stores. I hope I can find a few autumn themed napkins and not be forced to feed my family on Santa plates.

I will say that the positive is that I have already used the Santa card a few times. As in"Oh no- I hope Santa understands when he sees you are not in your bed yet"
I love Christmas with the girls- I love it. I love that Devin still believes although I am really concerned that she might be really annoyed when she finds out the truth. Hopefully she will understand the magic that believing creates and even be in on it with us for Kelsea til she is older. For now I am simply hoping they'll hurry up and finish off the remainder of their candy corn before the candy canes start coming home.

Logical guilt

So Kelsea went camping with her grandparents this past weekend. My husband's parents. We are working hard on fostering independence in her- IE staying in her own bed so I can stop being awakened every few hours by random kicks and punches. Cory told his parents this new "rule."
Kelsea woke at her normal morning hour of ohcomeonisitreally6already and asked to get in the bed with her Grandma. She told her no- she had to stay in her own bed because Mom and Dad said she had to(way to use POSITIVE reinforcement). Next, Kelsea asked for her normal morning cup of coffee aka her fiber bar. Grandma told her no -it was too early (she usually gets one herself).
So then Kelsea said to her 'Gramma, how would YOU feel if you were 3 years old and you asked someone for a fiber bar and THEY would not give it to you?"
You can bet Gramma got her that fiber bar after all.

I never would have thoght of it that way.

We are actively looking for a new set of sheets for Kelsea's bed. Nana wants to buy them for her for her birthday- and of course- they must have deer on them. It is more difficult than you might think.The main choices out there really just drags me back into redneck hell... but I did find a set that looked more lodge inspired AND had deer moose and bears. I showed them to her.She looked at me and said "Mama! I don't want sheets with bears and deer on them.Bears kill deer.I don't want sad sheets!"

a stage production in her own head

She makes me laugh. Even at 8 am.
Devin and I were sitting in my room trying to find specific socks from the nightmare I call the sock basket(that has BTW morphed into 2 baskets) when Kelsea opened the door and in a very dramatic voice said "She BURSTS through the door"

Her job in this life

Kelsea and I were waiting for our appointment time to visit a preschool. She was looking at the playground and asked me- "Why aren't there any deer?"
I said "Maybe they don't understand the importance of deer.
She said very seriously, "Oh I will have to teach them."

children are made out of rubbah

My sister, Sarah, came to celebrate Devin's birthday with us with her 3 children. Connor , the oldest, is 6 days younger than my oldest, Bailey. Connor is a pretty serious guy and so is Bailey. They are also both just-about-twelve and fully immersed in the tween stage.
Connor decided that at about 1 a.m on Sunday he would try to fly.Seriously. I was asleep on the sofa bed downstairs when I was awakened with the loudest crash. I thought the ceiling was headed for my lap. Connor had somehow managed to leap off of the top bunk of the bunk beds and was curled up on the floor in a ball. Sarah was already there- she was asleep in the room next to his and easily heard him fall. Honestly, I don't think she was even fully awake but her Mom-radar sensed danger so she went straight to it.
Connor would not respond when we asked him if he was ok or if anything hurt. I finally got him to roll his ankles and wiggle his toes then he just crawled back up the ladder and went back to sleep. It took about an hour for my heart to stop racing- We just sat on the floor in amazement at the fact that he didn't actually go right though or break something.
The next morning Connor recalled NOTHING of this adventure. Nothing. Thinks we made it up.

So she DOES listen

Devin has been begging me for what feels like years but is likely months for a pony. Hey it's ME - If we could swing a pony do you think she would have to ask?
We can't get a pony. 2 main reasons. MONEY- those suckers cost a lot to maintain and medicate and shoe and feed. Oh and the poop. See I love our animals.I do. It is just that I am really at my poop limit. As it is, if the girls tell me they're bored they get instant poop scooping duty. BTW this rule has only been tested ONCE by Devin. I have never heard that whine/phrase uttered again.
So back to the story- Devin asking me- for a pony- AGAIN. I explained the financial obligation. I told her if we got a pony I would have to go back to work full time just to pay for it. I asked her which she would rather have- me at home or the horse. I KNOW SHE ANSWERED ME. Well she MEANT to anyway.
It was time for some animal chores to be done and I asked Devin would she like to help.She rolled her eyes, heavy sighed and then breathed I guess so. I looked at her and I said- yeah. YOU want a pony. Do you know how much MORE poop a pony would make? Do you have any idea how BIG your pooper scooper would have to be? And this is every day mind you.....

Today Kelsea walked into the kitchen and said "Mama I reeeealllly want a pet deer. I will clean the dishwasher every day and I will clean ALL( grand hand gestures) of the poop if you let me have one. So yeah, she DOES listen.

doorway skills and etiquette

Notes for my children - specifically the 11 and just about 9 year old. Oh and yes this really did happen yesterday - 2 seperate incidences in 2 fun filled doorways.

My Bailey, when we leave a building if you choose to walk in the front of us please make sure when we come to a door that you actually use your arms and OPEN it. Do not stand there staring at it like you do not know how it works. Also, when I say to you "Open the door,Bailey" do not panic flailing your arms about and scurry to both sides of the door. oooopen it. I know you have done it before. This experience was especially pleasing with the group of 3 people behind us watching you panic. Some doors ARE automatic. Some are not. If the door has not magically opened by the time you can touch it assume it is one of those that are not.

Dearest Devin, when we leave a building and you are second in line out the door- do not stop just beyond the door opening. When I say "Let's go" that request continues alll the way to the car. Please do not wait for further instruction just beyond the threshold causing everyone behind you (including me) to collide into each other.

These are skills I hope you will soon be able to retain and perhaps even pass on to others who may be lacking the same abilities. I never thought this would be an issue but obviously- a refresher is warranted.

Oh I begged

Bailey is at the age where pdas are sooo not cool. She waves goodbye to me with a fleeting look of "oh God,please Mom, Don't ask me to kiss you infrontofmyfriends..."
I get it .I GET it.I dooo. It just makes me miss her. Miss the time when she would run full force into me and wrap her arms around me for a hug before running off to play.
She can raid my closet for shoes now. She decided she prefers my rubbah boots to hers and has taken them over. I get it.She is growing up.I GET IT,DAMNIT.
We are at the edge of something. Bigger changes than we have seen so far. Babies grow into toddlers into preschoolers. I thought those chages were huge. The thing is-they still need you.
Now- not so much. She still needs me but not in the way that she used to.Now I must be more careful with what I say and more thoughtful with my answers.
I see her- who she is becoming. I wish I could be more like her. Cripes I hope I can live up to who she believes me to be.

another golden

My in-laws had a tornado pass through their back yard today.Luckily the only damage was a tree felled.
Kelsea is very concerned about this tree.She also thought hard about the tree that fell in our yard a couple of years ago. She insisted that if we just "use the blue tape- we have a lot of it!" the tree could stand again.
Then she asked Cory and Devin if a tornado was a vegetable?No? Then is it a mushroom?

From Kelsea's lips

She was carrying a cross that belonged to Bailey into her room. As she walked she said "God of remember- remember my joy."

it is less than a month away

So I will bring out my favorite for now and for always Fourth of July memory.
Devin was 5. We were walking back to the car from watching the fireworks.
I asked her, "Do you know why we saw fireworks? Do you know what we are celebrating?"
She said, "No."
I said, "This is the forth of July. Independence Day."
she " Aoh! I didn't get to hold any deer!"
me "Huh? What do you mean"
she "we Learned it in school.4Th of July. Independence day. It is special. It is a day we hold deer."

right back at me

So we're discussing yet again why she can't have chocolate for ( insert any mealtime here) when Kelsea looks at me and says "Mom, I'm just so tired of this. You're really killing me,Mom."

yeah she IS 3 AND a half.

I think this speaks for itself.

We need to talk

Yesterday Kelsea ,age 3, walked into the room holding herself in the universal "I have to go Potty" pose. I asked her-" Do you need to go potty?"
To which she replied, "No Mama.I am just holding my skeleton."

what?spice?

So this is just the beginning. I am going to share the stuff that makes me laugh- and hopefully stop driving my friends crazy with "the report". Hope you enjoy.

If you know me you know them.There are three of them. The things that they do- more specifically- the things they SAY. That is why I started this page.
First of all you need to know I LIKE them. I do. Come on, most parents love their kids but how many can say they LIKE them. I like the people they are.I like the way they think. Sure they drive me completely insane too but that kinda makes it more fun.As my dad puts it- that's the spice.
They're generally quite happy too. They rarely argue. RARELY. This is worth mentioning because as I look back into my childhood arguing and fighting took up a majority of our days. Not my girls.They play.They laugh. When they laugh it is the BEST sound in the whole world. Nothing better than the laughter I hear from the other room- when it is just the 3 of them laughing together ..I hope they remember that. It's just gold.