Extreme Makeover: Toddler Edition

There have been some big changes in Abby's life lately. She's been ready for them for a long time, but second children tend to get forgotten in the area of developmental milestones. My precise and scientific research has determined that many moms tend to get a little sloppy with subsequent children after micro-managing every detail of their firstborns life.

It's a fancy way of compensating...and ensuring previously referenced subsequent children have good reasons for the therapy they'll inevitably need in the future.

It's all for a good cause.

Abby has probably been ready to be potty trained since she turned 2. I, however, found it much easier to keep her in diapers rather than worry about finding pottys for two preschoolers while out and about. But, Christmas break was upon us and it seemed like the perfect time to stay home for a few days and just get it all over with. Though anyone who knows us can attest to the fact that she was adamant about NOT training. "I not big girl, mama. I still a little girl. I no want to go on the potty."


After three straight days of not leaving the house (and going commando) I had myself a fully potty trained 2 1/2 year old. All it took was a few princess stickers and 2 or 43 bags of M&Ms.


I patted myself on the back for awhile and then realized there was one more milestone that I've been putting off. The big girl bed. Abby has been perfectly fine in the crib. She never tried to climb out - which actually came as a shock to me because of her spunky personality.

Trust me, I'm not complaining.

We moved Drew to the big boy bed when he was 18 months old. Abby was on the way and she was going to need a crib. So, on the big night we put him in the bed, he looked at us like we were crazy, cried for 11 seconds, and then went straight to sleep until the next morning.

Done.

Even better, he doesn't come out of his room once he's tucked in to bed. He stays there all night and calls me in the morning when he's ready to get up. He doesn't get out of the bed until I come into the room - obviously, we are quite proud.

And, smug.

So, I just knew that Abby would give me a headache in this department. It was too easy with Drew. I KNEW she wouldn't stay in bed, would come find us in the middle of the night, and then wake up way too early in the morning demanding cartoons and sugary cereal. I envisioned sleepless nights while I went all Supernanny on my child just so I could get some peaceful sleep.

Clearly I wasn't over thinking this at all.

I've had Abby's bedding (terrific sale at Pottery Barn Kids) for almost a year, but just couldn't bring myself to do it. Then Abby started asking for a bed. She began asking me to lay out a big blanket with a pillow so she could pretend she was sleeping in a big bed. It all came down to this very picture...






And I knew she was ready.

So, Matt painted the room a perfect shade of green and we got the bed all put together for her. She was ecstatic!

And, can I just tell you? She has stayed in there every night. She doesn't run out 32 times asking for water, come look for us in the middle of the night, or wake us in the wee hours of the morning. She has totally followed in her brother's sweet footsteps.

She jumped into the bed that first night and she made the transition better than I ever could have imagined.

She's probably saving all of the trouble for her teenage years.

Lucky us.

Sweet as Sugar

They really are...

just sweet as sugar.

And, the best part is they are totally sweet on each other too!

These kids seriously love each other. They are best friends, buddies, teammates, and co-conspirators. They protect each other, stand up for each other, and help each other. They hug and kiss and wrestle and snuggle. And, lately, they don't even bicker that much. Much less than I would expect from a four year old and two year old anyway. They don't always listen to their parents, but they communicate clearly with each other. I guess that's something...

They are so sweet when they are reunited after a long day at school. Drew was with me a few weeks ago when I picked Abby up from preschool and he had all the adults in the room a little teary-eyed when he hugged Abby sweetly and told her, "I miss you so much today, Abby. I so glad we are together again." And, Abby is the same when we drop Drew off at school in the morning. She always wants a hug and a kiss goodbye. And she tells him, "Be good boy, Drew. I miss you but I see you soon and we play."

Melt, melt melt...

Drew made this Valentine frame for me at school. I was at his school for a meeting today and the lady told me we might see Drew and asked if that was ok. "Yes," I told her, "I'll definitely need to squeeze him." He came in the room about an hour later and he was so surprised to see me. He asked, "What are you doing here, mama?" I told him I was telling the lady all of the wonderful things about him. He smiled brightly and said, "Wow! Thanks, mama!" He then turned to the lady who had brought him into the room and said, "This is my mommy. She takes care of me when I'm at home." Then he turned back to me kissed my lips and hugged me hard before he said, "Well, mama - I really, really love you but I need to go back to class now."

I'm tellin' you - sweet as sugar.

And, these are Abby's sweet little handprints that make the shape of a heart. There is really no end to the crafts these preschool teachers can create with their adorable, little hands. Abby's enthusiasm for this special day created by Hallmark was remarkable. She LOVED the candy, LOVED the cookies, LOVED the valentines, LOVED the special outfit, and LOVED the fact that every. single. person. she knew asked her to be their valentine.

Hope your Valentine's Day was as sweet as ours!

For Grams...

My mama loves to spoil my kids. She is always on the lookout for good stuff to go along with whatever the kids are into for the moment. For Drew, it is pirates. Peter Pan was his favorite movie for averylongtime and that has now branched out into anything "pirates." He loves to play with his pirate ships and pirate figures and to talk like a pirate during most of his spare time. Which, let me tell you, he has an abundance of.

Anyway, Grams happened upon a Jack Sparrow costume from the Disney Store and knew her grandson had to have it. She brought it over one evening while babysitting, but didn't remember to give it to him before he went to bed. Apparently, while she was tucking him in she said something to the effect of, "I'll see you in the morning."

Whoops.

The next morning, I hear Drew call out, "Grams, Grams...I'm awake. Grams? GRAMS?" I went in to get him and let's just suffice it to say that he was not pleased to see me. You know, the one who actually took nine months out of her life to grow him into a person.

Gratitude is a funny thing in these preschoolers.

Anyway, he was so upset that I figured the present Grams left behind would totally cheer him up. Ummm...no. He was mad that she wasn't there and he didn't want to have anything to do with her stinkin' present. He wouldn't even look at the costume, and pitched a fit every time I tried to show it to him over the next few days.

He and Jack Sparrow had not gotten off on the right foot. Or the left foot, for that matter.

Yesterday, he finally changed his mind. And, they are now the good friends that we had imagined they would be all along.


Gotta check himself out in the mirror...

And, look! A sword! Miss Danielle gave this to Drew for his birthday last year. He LOVES that she wrote his name on it.

In action...

All to say - thanks, Grams!

Come on over anytime! You are back on our good side!

A Day Late and A Dollar Short

Yesterday was Tara's birthday. It was a celebratory weekend because I also hosted a baby shower for her. She's expecting her second little boy on my Abby Grace's birthday.

It's really all very exciting.

We had the shower at her mother's house where I ate approximately 643 cookies. Because, really, the woman can just bake.

Anyway, I would have liked to post a "Happy Birthday" message yesterday, but I was very busy taking this picture...


And this picture...


And this one...


And this one...


And I couldn't forget this...



Clearly, I didn't take the next picture yesterday, but it just really goes along with the theme I have going here. It's of me. Early 80's. Dressed as my very favorite princess for Halloween. I can vividly remember my mother sewing this costume.


And the blue eyeshadow... I think I'm making a pretty bold statement with the blue eyeshadow and red lipstick. You gotta love the 80's.

And, my apologies to Uncle Austin for throwing him under the bus in this next picture, but I had to get the front view of the dress too.


Wait.

Where was I?

Oh, yes, Tara's birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TARA!

We really had a great time at the shower. Tara warned me she was going to wear jeans because she is just HUGE and cannot fit into anything she has. When I saw her "huge" 30-week pregnant belly, I sadly realized that it is very similar to what my stomach looks like after unlimited salad and breadsticks at The Olive Garden.

Or a good night at Outback.

Take your pick.

I spent some time with her while she was getting ready for the shower and she pulled out some really cute pants. She commented that she hoped they would fit and blah, blah, blah. I picked up those pants and looked at the size.

Size zero, internet. Size zero.

She was quick to point out they were "regular"pants rather than "petite."

I almost slapped her.

But, she's 30 weeks pregnant so I restrained myself. And told her that this information was totally going on my blog so everyone could dislike her as much as I do. But, she's really great, so it's difficult to harbor the bad feelings for very long.

The shower was so much fun. Lots of her family came into town, including two of her cousins who were a riot! We got into talking about weight loss (as women always seem to do) and one of her cousins said her strategy for staying thin was not to eat. Literally, only eats one meal a day. I wondered aloud if she was angry about this because that's what not eating would do to me. I would be very, very angry. She laughed, but I was completely serious. Someone else tried to help me by chiming in that mothers need lots of energy so we need to eat to keep up our strength.

Yeah, yeah. That's right.

I just prefer to get my energy from cookies 'n' cream ice cream.

And an assortment of fried foods.

Tara got me a little thank you gift - a gift card to The Cheesecake Factory. Because, cheesecake, as she well knows, is my love language.

Happy Birthday Tara!

happy birthday daddy!

happy birthday daddy!

we took over mommy's blog today so we could wish you the happiest birthday ever. we think it is perfect you are 32 because that is how many times mommy taped us singing before she found one suitable for the world wide web. sheesh!

anyway, you are the best daddy in the whole world! we love playing fun games with you and we just wanted you to know that out of all the dads in the world we are so happy that you are ours. (and, mommy says she thinks you are pretty great too!)

happy, happy, happy, happy birthday!

love,

drew and abby

The Vacation That The Blog Forgot...

Ahem...

So, Matt and I went on vacation last month. To Colorado. For the skiing. Without the kids.

I meant to write about our trip, but I just haven't gotten around to it. Last year, Matt kept asking me to send out pictures from our trip in an email and I never got around to that either.

Maybe I have issues about sharing pictures that don't involve my children.

We just aren't quite as cute.

However, the frigid temperatures in Central Florida this week brought back sweet memories of almost freezing to death on vacation this year.

Very sweet, indeed.

Don't get me wrong. I love skiing. I'm just a native Floridian. So, when I'm drinking my hot chocolate in the morning and the weather man in Beaver Creek, Colorado tells me it's -4 degrees outside, well, I started worrying that 64 layers of clothing just wouldn't be enough.

And, it wasn't.

This was our second annual (and last annual) ski trip with good friends of ours (with an awesome bonus couple this year). The ladies and I spent much of the trip planning the cruise we'll take this year for vacation. You know, with the sun and it's glorious warmth.

But, I do love the mountains. There is nothing like being at the top of one of the mountains and taking in the exquisite views around you. And, I've loved skiing since I was a little girl on our family vacations. So, Matt stepped out of his comfort zone to take me on my favorite kind of vacation, and let me tell you, he turned out to be a fantastic skier. I was totally impressed.

The interesting thing about the pictures is you can't tell which year they are from since we are wearing exactly same thing.

Trust me, if you saw the price tags on those ski clothes then you'd be wearing the same thing too.

Last year, we took all manner of pictures, because, LOOK, we were skiing! This year, we realized that frostbite is a very large price to pay for something as trivial as a picture.

We are nothing if not sentimental.

So, I'm going to pick the best photos out of both trips and leave you wondering if they are from this year or last year.

I know the suspense will just take you right to the edge...



So, here's the kind of view I'm talking about. Truly amazing.





And, here we are!



Yep, that's us again. It's just too cute a picture not to share with the interweb.




Ok...down to business. Here I am skiing through some trees. It's like I'm a professional or something.



Matt skiing through the same trees.



These next pictures are right before we got snowed off the mountain in what could only be described as a blizzard. I love how sassy we look!






I stopped halfway down a trail to take this next picture of Beaver Creek Village, which is where we stayed.




Here is Matt doing a jump. Seriously, he did so great for a beginner. I don't think he fell at all this year. (except upon landing this jump)




And, here I am doing the same jump. It's a set of three shots, courtesy of my personal photographer, Kari.

Please hold all applause until the end.

The only shot she didn't get was me wiping out .3 seconds later.

I think I'll call my travel agent...those cruise ships might be getting booked for the summer already.

A Full Heart

Raising preschoolers is no easy task. There's not a lot of concrete evidence that my children are learning the things that I feel are valuable and important. In a typical career there are performance reviews, evaluations, and other assessment tools that let you know that you are reaching goals and doing your job well. It's not the same with parenting. The jury is still out on what these kids are absorbing on a daily basis and we mostly just try to survive around here. In fact, when Matt asks what we have done that day, I often reply "I'm just trying to keep people alive, okay?"

Clearly, I'm not defensive about this at all.

But, really. There just aren't many days as a parent when you can be sure that you are on the right track. There aren't immediate rewards. And, most of my time is spent in those daily tasks that feel so unimportant and that never change, but they are necessary nonetheless. There are things that I hope they are learning from me and, unfortunately, there are those days when I lose my temper and I hope that those are the things they will forget.

How can it be measured? How do I know what is being stored away in their little hearts and minds? I know these early years are critical as their personalities are forming, but what will be the end result?

Then, as if God knows I need some reassurance, I get a clear glimpse into the heart of my sweet Drew. He has such a tender heart. He shows love to others so easily. He forgives my mistakes so completely. And he takes care of his little sister with a protective spirit.

A few weeks ago, I went to visit my grandfather for the day. I was home in time to put the kids to bed. Drew and I snuggled in bed as we do each night. And, as usual, I asked him what his favorite part of the day was. He hesitated, so I tried to prompt him..."was it going to the park or playing video games..." He put his arm around my neck and said "No, no, mama. My favorite part was when you came back."

I love this age where he expresses his love so easily. For so long you ask them to say "I love you" or ask them to give you a kiss or hug. Drew has reached the age where he does it all on his own. And, let me tell you, it makes it THAT MUCH BETTER when your child gives you a kiss or hug unprompted. In fact, just this week we were at a doctor's appointment and the doctor and I were talking for a long time. Drew was being such a good boy considering the circumstances. Then, he crawled into my lap and snuggled up against me as I talked with the doctor. Every minute or two he would sit up and kiss me on the cheek and then snuggle back into my shoulder. When we were leaving I was sure to praise Drew for his excellent behavior and he replied, "Well that's ok mama. I just love you!"

And, the time a few months ago that I'll never ever forget. My mom was over visiting with the kids and I got a telephone call with some bad news. Since my mom was there, I had the luxury of going by myself to my room so I could just cry without worrying the kids. But, it didn't work out that way. Drew parked himself outside my bedroom door and kept calling for me. My mom tried to distract him, but he persisted. I could tell he was looking under my bedroom door as he said, "Mama, I can't see you. Mama, I need you. Mama, let me in." Frustrated that I couldn't even have a few moments alone, I went to open the door. I asked him, "Drew, what is it?" He ran in and said, "Mama, you need me. Can I snuggle you?" My heart melted at his empathy for me even in the face of my selfishness. And we did snuggle. And I felt infinitely better than if I had been alone. And my four year old knew it before I did.

So, I have to accept the fact that parenting offers no guarantees. And there may not be much evidence along the way that things are going to turn out all right.

But, I have to tell you, I'm getting less worried each day as I watch my precious son grow up before my very eyes.

I guess I don't need a performance review after all. I just need to know where to look.

His heart.