Brain Droppings

- I have come to the conclusion that Lexi is a warm weather only soccer player. Yesterday in 40 degree temperatures she just couldn't get her feet moving and was in the way more than anything.

- Abby's coming out with new words everyday and that is very entertaining.

- I registered for Summer and Fall semesters. Come Fall I should be kept on watch as I will be attempting 15 credit hours (the most I've done since having Abby is 9) and will be slowly losing my mind over the course of those 16 weeks. I will probably be eligible for commitment to the Insane Asylum at the halfway point.

- I am ready for my trip to NC in 2 weeks. I'll be going to visit my cool ex-neighbor. The girls are going too but Stefan will be hanging behind because of his supposed busy season (that has only required 1 week of overtime thus far). He'll probably use the time to ride the bike. I'm not stupid AND he told me not to check the mileage when I come home. That's rocket science to figure out!

- I'm not believing that Abby will be two in 5.5 weeks.

- Speaking of Abby, she fought a nap so bad yesterday that Stefan had to put her back in the crib about 15-20 times. Finally she passed out on the floor just inside her door.

- Lexi did very well this reporting period at school. She got "AC-accomplished" in everything but two areas which she received "IP-In progress" on. We are very proud.

- Since Lexi sees me preparing for Abby's party in May, she is already putting in present and location requests for her birthday...in October.

- We planted some vegetables in some pots and they were really doing well as long as the weather was nice or we kept them inside, but all of a sudden they got attacked by fruit flies and are not fairing well at all. I always feel badly when we plant things with Lexi and they don't work out. It makes me feel like we let her down.

- Abby is a Daddy's girl through and through. If he's in the room and then leaves for a second, she screams and cries until he comes back. Nothing I can do will console her. This is a frustrating phase.

- Lexi told me she wanted to move again the other day. The last time she said this was because she wanted all of us except Abby to move because Abby was getting on her nerves that day. This time the rationale is that she wants her room to be pink (instead of the deep lilac it is now) and she wants posters on her walls. So we're supposed to relocate for that? I guess we'll be painting this summer.

- Found out that our old neighbors are moving back into the house they've been renting to a really nice family. I couldn't be more underwhelmed. This neighbor has been known in the past to cause a lot of drama and I've been enjoying the peace and quiet while she's been gone.

- I can't wait for this semester to be over. I'm taking classes I really don't enjoy which has just been making the semester seem drawn out.

Fugitive!!!!

Tuesday I put Abby down for a nap in the afternoon. She was screaming and carrying on, but I insisted on allowing her to "scream it out" because if she didn't take a nap, she would have been cranky for the sitter who would be watching her while I attended Lexi's dance class. After about 20 minutes, she got quiet so I thought she had gone to sleep. I proceeded to play a little Guitar Hero when all of a sudden Abby was standing at the baby gate. She had climbed out of her crib and came downstairs and had taken a spot as an audience member with her binky in her mouth and a blanket slung over her shoulder. I knew that things had just drastically changed.

Well tonight, I went to put her to bed and she immediately climbed out of the crib. This was not going to go well. I then recalled some sound advice from Super Nanny about getting difficult children to bed. Her "Going to Bed" technique goes like this,
* The first time he gets up, remind him that it’s bedtime, lead him back to
bed, give him a kiss and a cuddle, and leave the bedroom.

* The second time, do the same but use a firmer voice and make the kiss and
cuddle brief.

* The third and any subsequent times, say nothing at all as you lead him
back to bed, tuck him in, and leave the room. This is the hard part, and
it’s very tempting to give a cuddle. Remember that a gentle, consistent
approach will convince your child that you’re there for him, but that you
insist he sleep in his own bed.

I used this technique. I stood guard outside her door and for twenty minutes I felt like I belonged on the Super Nanny show. I followed the technique to the letter and after 20 minutes and over 20 times returning her to her bed, she finally gave up and went to bed. I felt quite accomplished because I have watched some episodes that it took the parents over two hours to get their unruly children in bed.

The funny part was that she seriously tried to outsmart me through all of this. I would be standing outside the door and hear her climb out of the crib. She'd tiptoe to the door and open it. When she saw me she'd try to make a run for it, but I'd scoop her up and return her to bed. I gotta tell ya...it was very hard to stick my ground when she looked so cute with her binky in her mouth and a blankie tossed over her shoulder. There were times when she'd open the door and (as I reached down to scoop her up) she'd make a run for it to a corner of her room as if she was going to find some escape within the confines of her room. Perhaps the funniest instance was the very last one. I stood outside of her door rather exasperated and wondering how long this was going to last when I heard her lower herself out of the crib for what seemed like the hundredth time. She tiptoed over to the door and when it opened she had the blankie over her head. I guess she thought that I wouldn't be smart enough to figure out that she was under the blankie. I returned her (with the blankie still over her head) to her bed and the was the last I heard from her.

Times are changin' as we move onto another phase of the unknown with this munchkin.

Our Little Chicks

Easter was a good day. The girls woke up about 8ish which was a nice break. They opened their baskets from the Easter Bunny. He left one with princess dress up stuff for Abby and one with Strawberry Shortcake sports equipment for Lexi. They were both excited. It was then time to hunt eggs. Poor Abby didn't have a chance in the world. Last year she got the first egg but this year Lexi was a mad woman. I didn't even get any pictures of Lexi hunting because she was just going way too fast. Anyway, here are some shots of Abby.









Later that afternoon, the girls played in the backyard. They were having a blast, but I had to research class options for Summer Registration. All of a sudden, Stefan opened the back door and told me I had to come out and see something. A bit frustrated because he broke my concentration I got up to look and found Lexi's Jeep up on the slide of the backyard climber. Apparently, the wild woman drove it right up the slide with Abby in the passenger seat. By the time Stefan knew what happened, he saw Abby tumbling off the back. Here are some pics of the scene of the accident. Good thing Uncle Chris wasn't here to write Lexi a ticket!

Lexi's First Soccer Game, Dying Easter Eggs, and Sami's Birthday Party

Lexi's first soccer game finally took place last Saturday. I say 'finally' because this was supposed to be the third game of the season but the first two were postponed because of weather. Anyway, the game was memorable but not for the obvious reasons. First of all, it was at 8 a.m. Who the heck schedules a 6 year old soccer game at 8 a.m.? Whoever it is, they obviously don't have a 6 year old. Secondly, it was COLD and that was magnified by the fact that the field she was playing on was in the shade (which made it only colder) and I thought that it would be warmer, so I totally underdressed her. Finally, Lexi started the game and when she caught a glimpse of a whole other team on the field, she flipped out and pulled herself out of the game never to return. She claimed the main reason was that she was cold but later admitted that she was nervous because she didn't know the other team. Go figure.

After the game, Abby took a nap while we dyed some Easter eggs. Lexi had a great time, and we made an egg with Abby's name on it so she didn't feel too left out.





Once Abby awoke from her beauty rest, we hightailed out to Cumming to Sami's birthday party. Man, does Angie know how to lay out a spread of food! Unfortunately, half the people that said they'd be there did not show up, but that left more for the rest of us. Anyway, we sang some karaoke which Abby decided she was into.



She finally decided to share the mic with the birthday girl, Sami.



Move over Hannah Montana, here comes Abby!



After karaoke, Angie had the kids hunt some Easter eggs in the backyard. Unfortunately, she didn't chose the hider very carefully as she left it up to her mischievous older boys and they were entirely too creative for the likes of 4 year olds (which was the average of the ages of the kids hunting). I think the kids found half of the eggs before the older boys had to show them where the rest were. At any rate, they had fun and that's what counts.







After the egg hunt, Abby started fussing. Her schedule was way off and it was showing. She didn't want anything to do with me. She didn't want anything to do with Daddy. She did, however, decide that Sam was pretty cool and befriended him.



Finally it was cake and presents time. If you ask Abby it couldn't have come quicker. She perked right up at the thought of sweet, homemade cake. However, once the cake was gone so were her smiles so we had to dodge on out of there before the meltdown.



When we got home, we gave the girls a bath and sent them off to bed. Once they were down, Stefan's energy collapsed and he went to bed too. I gave up about an hour and a half later. I think we were all in bed by 9:30 that night...and boy did we need it!

Lexism of the week

Lexi has the idea that you are as tall in feet as you are old in years. So, she thinks that since she is 6 years old, she is 6 feet tall.

So, with that in mind...

Lexi and Abby stayed at my parents' house last night. After they picked the girls up, they decided to go to Lexi's favorite pizza buffet, Stevie B's. While there, Lexi blurted out that Nana (Stefan's mom) is the biggest in the family. Taken a bit off guard, my mom asked why Lexi would say that. Lexi then told her that she is so big that not all 60 candles (Nana just turned 60 in January) would not fit on her cake (the one on the card that Lexi handmade).

The irony?

My dad is 63 and my mom is 62. Go figure. Selective memory I suppose.

CORRECTION: My dad sent this to me via email last night.
"Your blog would not let me comment.

I [am] 64 and mom is 63!!

DAD"

Most wouldn't mind some shaving off of their years, but apparently this ruffled Dad's feathers.

No Freaking Way!

I am using my Spring Break wisely and taking the time to get ahead on schoolwork and...::gulp:: planning Abby's 2nd birthday party. I decided to go with a JoJo's Circus theme. This is so fitting since she loves the show. In fact, today she said "JoJo" for the first time. It wasn't a fluke either because she continued to say it whenever she saw JoJo. It's too cute. It also makes me excited because this Halloween she'll be able to repeat the JoJo costume Lexi wore a few years ago. I thought it would be a fight to get Abby to agree, but now I think she'll be excited.

All this talk, yet I am still in denial that my baby girl is turning 2. It seems so cliche when people say that they grow up so fast and I used to roll my eyes when I'd hear it...BUT it is so true!

I Do NOT Like Them. Sam I Am.

This week in Lexi's kindergarten class, they celebrated Dr. Suess' birthday. Since they've been studying sequencing events, the teachers thought a lesson in making green eggs and ham was in order. They gave the kids squares with recipe instructions on them and, as the teacher prepared the dish, the kids had to put the recipe in sequence. Very cool!

Anyway, Lexi came home with her recipe and asked if I could make green eggs and ham. I said sure although the thought of it made me sense vomit in the back of my throat. Well, tonight was the night and that's what she and Abby had for dinner.

Of course I had some help making them... (the recipe is on the red paper and Lexi checked off ever step as I did it to make sure I did it correctly)



Lexi mixes the eggs.



Sizzle, sizzle.



Ready to eat



The girls really loved it!




My thoughts on it? Gross!

Mom of the Year...Well, at least to a six year old.

I said in this post that Lexi wanted to be #5 in soccer because she was 5 at the time. Well her new season began last week with practices on Monday. Shirts were handed out tonight during practice and I was able to snatch #6 for her keeping the previous rationale in mind. When practice was over I told Lexi I got her jersey and she asked if I got #6. I became the best mom in the world when I was able to answer that yes, I did in fact get #6. At least that's something I can do right.

On the unfortunate side, I got her game schedule and her games are all at 8 or 9:10 in the morning. With this being Stefan's busy season at work and him not getting home until 4:45 am, I doubt he'll make it to any games. This is sad.

Abbyism of the Week

I always suspected that one day Abby would have a run in with the law, but I didn't think it would happen this soon.

Today, I was killing a few minutes before I had to get Lexi ready for soccer. Lexi was in her room watching TV and Abby and I laid on the bed relaxing to a little Oprah. She was fiddling with the remote...or so I thought. Apparently it was the phone because I started to hear "Hello? Hello?" I reached over and took the phone from her. Confused, I responded to the voice on the other line. "Hello?" I asked. "This is 911, can I help you?" I was mortified! I explained that the baby had dialed the phone and apologized profusely. The dispatcher asked if everything was okay and I assured her it was. Nonetheless, a few minutes later a very serious, very inquisitive officer showed up asking if everything was okay. Again, I assured him everything was fine. He looked over my shoulder into the house and then stared into my eyes and asked, "Are you sure?" A light bulb went off and I realized that he thought I might have been in a hostage-type situation. Again, I assured him everything was fine and apologized about nine more times.

Kids!!!!

Lexism of the Week

Yesterday, I was driving with Lexi in the car and we had a conversation that went like this,

Lexi: D-I-C-K

Me: Excuse me?

Lexi: Is that how you spell Dick, Mommy?

Me: Yes, but why are you spelling that? Use it in a sentence.

Lexi: I like Dick...

Me: silence.

Lexi: ...and I like Jane.

Me: Oh!!! Yes, Lexi, that's how you spell Dick.

She was talking about her Dick and Jane primer books, but since she hasn't been reading those lately, the initial part of this conversation frightened me a bit.

Am I Seeing Double?

Abby's a little pretender. Actually, let me restate that. Abby loves to mimic others. I have my keys on a lanyard that I wear around my neck when running errands. It definitely makes it easier when you're wrestling two kids in car seats and whatever bags of goodies you're trying to manage. At least with them around my neck, I don't have to dig for them in the bottom of my purse or worry about dropping them somewhere. Whenever she gets the opportunity to hijack my keys she tosses them around her neck and struts around the house pointing her finger at the dogs and telling them to "go, go, go" which they respond to by going in their crates. Then she'll wave and act like she's walking out the door.

Since Lexi started kindergarten, Abby was been keenly aware of the routine in the morning. We get up, have breakfast, watch some TV while I do Lexi's hair, then Lexi puts on her coat and backpack, and we go to the bus stop. The other day after school, Abby stole the opportunity to dress herself in Lexi's coat and boots. She then brought me Lexi's backpack which I put on her back but she fell over under the weight. She was satisfied with the coat and boots and was thrilled when I started calling her Lexi.

Here are some pictures.