32 months

This month Chloe's imagination took off running. For the first time she began playing pretend and role-playing on a daily basis. She has gotten good at playing with her small wooden family. I especially love to hear the dialogue that the members have with one another. It can be pretty hilarious. She has also gotten even more complex in taking care of her babies and playing Mommy. My favorite new activity is, by far, the invention of a game that started from "Wanna play water, Daddy?" "Oh, we can't play in the water right now, Sweetie, I'm sorry." "Dad-dy play in the wa-ter!" "I'm sorry sweetie, it's too late" "(Hits floor with hands) Chloe splash Daddy! Daddy's wet! Daddy play in water with Chloe!" "Ooooooh! Sure, Daddy can play in that water!" And the "splashing" and "swimming" commence and travel throughout the house with lots of shrieks and squeals along the way.

Favorites:
Books- Hands are Not For Hitting, Thomas: Percy and the Dragon, Where is the Green Sheep?,
TV- PBS Kids
Songs- Shoo Fly, It's Raining/It's Pouring, This Old Man, Tap Your Sticks
Foods- Wraps with Turkey, lettuce, cheese, and ranch, Ketchup (she finally discovered dipping), lettuce, cookies, grilled chicken, oranges

(More) Wormy's Words

I left a few favorites out on the last post....

Every morning when I come in from the gym, Chloe has just woken up "Hi Mommy! Mommy's home from the gym! Mommy was running and jumping! Mommy's STRONG (with appropriate arm motions)! Mommy's fetty (sweaty).... Mommy's wet. Mommy was a brave girl to get wet."

Upon leaving with Daddy and Eli to give me some time to clean the house in peace "Don't cry Mommy, we'll be right back!"

(serious voice) "Bug bite you! Mean ole bug!"

(also in very serious voice) "That mean ole skerl, he stole our squash!"

"Brave girl.....nooooo.. Brave boy, elephant! Dolly is a gurl, elephant is a buoy!"

Seeing me water the plants, runs up excitedly "It's Coey's turn, Mommy! Mommy not do more, just Co-ey do it."

The Cotton is High

Wormy's Words

"God made my boo-boo better! Thank you, God!"

Praying before bed "Thank you for our food. Thank you for Eli eat dinner. Chloe not eat dinner. Chloe not like it, Eli like it!"

First words to Daddy every evening when he gets home "Good-bye Daddy's work, Hello Daddy's home!"

After nap which was a pre-req for playing in the sprinkler. Chloe is sitting on couch waiting, and Eli starts crying from his crib "Chloe not sleep, but Eli sleep ALLLLL DAAAAY. Eli was sleepy."

"Hi Momp! Hi Dat! giggles"

"Daddy's car is dirty, Daddy's car needs bath."

Maybe She Really Does Know

Rushing out the door to get Daddy from work

me: "Argh.. where did mommy put her phone???"
chloe:"mommy's phone's in the bathroom."

and it was.

Wormy Knows All

We were playing our favorite game "raise your hand if ____" when I paused to ask Chloe what her favorite color was.

me: "Hey, Chlo, what's your favorite color?"
chlo: matter-of-factly "pink."
me: "what's eli's?"
chlo: "eli's is blue. what's mommy's?"
me: "my favorite color is pink, too!"
chlo: "no. it's not pink, it's white."
me: "oh really? I didn't know that. well, what's daddy's?"
chlo: "daddy's is red."

Happy Birthday, Ryan!

Today was Ryan's 5th Birthday and we were lucky ducky enough to be invited to the party! The kids had a lot of fun with squirt guns, bubbles, pizza, cake, and ice cream.

Chloe and Ella learning to squirt their guns. The only way they could get the trigger pressed was to face the gun toward themselves. Quite comical to watch.

The birthday boy takes the first swing.

Birthdays taste yum.

Religious Studies 101

I walked in while Chloe was passionately reading her Bible outloud. I notice she is on page one and hear, "...no an-u-muls.. no people.. no flowers.. there was Nothing!"

We Have Arrived

111th Post!

Who knew there were so many?

Cleanliness Is Chloe-ness, C'td

Like I said a few posts back, I'm kind of lazy lately. Add that to a slow drain in the bathroom sink, and you get a grimy, icky basin to look at day in and day out. Chloe can't stand it. Every day, every time, she is in my bathroom (which happens to be every time that I'm in my bathroom) she steps on her tippytoes, peers in to the sink, and in her most serious and panicked voice starts berating me for the dirty sink. "Uh Oh! Sink dirty. Mommy need to fix it. Mommy need clean sink. Sink dirty. That's yuck!" Repeat roughly ten times a day for approximately a week now. Yesterday while the kids were napping, I was put under a great deal of conviction as the spirit of cleanliness and godliness decided to invade my lazybone (not really, we're having sitters coming over tonight and I didn't want them to know how we live) and I put out about two minutes of my usually wasted time and cleaned the sink! I was very proud of myself. Later that evening Chloe came into the bathroom to visit with me and instantly noticed the difference. Her eyes brightened, a giant smile spread across her face, she shot her fists into the air and gleefully shouted "Hooray! Mommy cleaned the sink! Good job Mommy! Sink's pretty! Mommy a good girl! Brave Mommy! Brave Sink! Ta-Da!" I decided right then and there that I wouldn't let my sink get in that shape again. In fact, I'll let it get even worse! The praise and reaction for cleaning away the filth was worth a few days of constant nagging from my two year old and having to look away everytime I washed my hands.

Two Going on Twenty

I know, I know. That title is so overdone. You hear it said everywhere, always followed with polite laughter and an inward rolling of the eyes. Or maybe it's just me that reacts that way, who knows. I can't believe I even used it, but it just seems to fit oh so well. It really is startling how many cliches you find to be truths once you become a parent. They really do grow up so fast, and they really are babies for just a short time, and before you know it, they will be in college. And I know I really do need to enjoy it while it lasts, and people are probably right to tell me I'll miss it when it's gone. But you know, cherishing these years is hard. For me it's really, really hard. I'm selfish and easily annoyed. I like eating my food without other people's slobber on it. I like to use the bathroom alone and shower without miniature peeping toms watching my every wash and rinse. I like my cooking to be appreciated and my conversations meaningful. Like I said, I'm selfish. On the other hand, I love being loved unconditionally. I love the unbridled excitement and the screeching of feet to the backdoor when I return from an errand. I love being told "Brave Girl, Mommy!" everytime I get my head wet in the shower. I like knowing that to my little girl I'm a good "cooker" and that my "nuffins" are worthy of the happy food dance. I love the cuddles and the kisses and the laughter and the squeals. I even love being needed when there is pain and crying. I love seeing them grow and hearing what they've learned. I love the songs they sing and the stories they tell. I truly love them, unconditionally. This blog for me is a way to hold onto the good (and a little bit of the bad) so that one day, when I finally feel like cherishing these times, and I start to miss the baby years, I will have my memories completely raw and uncontaminated by time and ready for reminiscing.

Eating raw carrots and broccoli and doing the happy food dance. How's that for all grown up!?

Still my bookWorm, looking oh so old in her favorite reading position.

A Summer's Breeze

There's A Little Girl, In Our Neighborhood

what Summer is all about

Tempered Tantrum

Eli is having a hard time napping. His teeth hurt or something. He sleeps a few minutes and then wakes up wailing. Yesterday, I go in, again, to cuddle him in the rocker and try to help him rest. Enter Chloe. She peeks through the doorway at me holding Eli and immediately becomes distraught. I press my finger to my lip, whisper "Shh!" and motion for her to go back into the living room. She does. A very short moment later she marches back down the hall, peers in once again, and begins whining for me to neglect her brother and return my affections to their rightful owner. Again I shush and point. Not liking this, Chloe lays down in the floor preparing for what looks to be the beginnings of an Oscar winning tantrum. Then something odd. She looks thoughtful, stops, and stands up. I prematurely think to myself "Good girl!" and smile. She then walks forward, softly and sweetly shuts the door, and returns to her aforementioned position. This time kicking and screaming commence and all attempts at napping end.