A Four Pack of Beers

Updates

2009-06-09T10:23:00.000-07:00

My Girls!
K girlfriends
Performance
K Graduation Party!
K Graduates from our neighborhood!

The past 6 months have been crazy, in a good way. But things are about to slow way down with summer a mere 2 days away, so I am hoping to get back into blogging. At least every now and then, because I love to look back and see what my kids were up to.

Carlie will graduate from Kindergarten on Thursday, and we are all too ready. This week is a flurry of end of the year excitement, parties and performances. So fun, but so exhausting!

We had a K Grad party over the weekend, with over 50 guests, which was great. And Carlie even made it until about 9pm without a tear. Anyone who knows Carlie, knows that this is a MAJOR accomplishment. Mylie sailed through without incident, and even Mommy and Daddy escaped with only a couple meltdowns ;)

We are so lucky to have 13 Kindergartners that live within walking distance of our house. All but one family will be going to a new school in our neighborhood next year, so we decided to invite those families to this party. The picture above contains the kids that Carlie will hopefully be in school with through High School.

Mylie is almost potty trained, though she refuses to wear big girl underwear. What kids does that??? She will actually go in public restrooms without screaming "NOOOOOO - I TOO SCARED!" now, so I feel confident that in the next couple months, we will be all done. Just so weird, Carlie potty trained herself when she was barely two, so I am surprised that my almost 3 year old is still working on it. But whatever, we haven't done any actual training, I am just letting her do her thing.

Carlie can totally read now, which is so amazing. She has started reading chapter books on her own, and spends most of her days creating books. I so remember that freedom from when I was her age, just such a big milestone.

On to summer, we have swim team, soccer and camp coming up. Plus my first summer as a stay at home mom! For the first time in their little lives, my kids don't have to go to school all summer. Big happenings.

She's a Big Girl Now!

2009-01-02T11:27:00.000-08:00

Mylie took a big step last night, from baby in a crib to big girl in a bed. I still can't believe how big she looks in that bed, not lost like I anticipated.

This was a forced transition since her crib cracked during a recent nap, and I wasn't quite ready to say goodbye to the crib that held both my babies through toddlerhood.

When I asked her if she was ready for such a feat, her only request was that it be a "Tinkerbell Bed." So off to Target we went and grabbed the only Tinkerbell comforter they had, luckily, it matched her decor perfectly.

She took to it naturally and slept for what is a record of late, from 8-7 without a peep. YAY for Mylie. Even bigger YAY for mommy and daddy!

Santa Was HERE!

2008-12-25T09:57:00.000-08:00

all I want for Christmas is....

2008-12-24T08:48:00.001-08:00

My girls to get along this good, for the next 48 hours. PLEASE!?

And no wishy-washyness here, they have both held tight to their Santa requests. Carlie would like a motorized scooter, and Mylie would like a bike (and be sure it is PINK!).

I would never have picked either of those as gifts for the girls this year, so they are very lucky there is a Santa Claus!

And while we are on that subject, Elfie, our magic 'elf on the shelf' who has been with us since Thanksgiving, flies back tonight. We are so sad to see him go. The girls are really going to miss running to see where Elfie is every morning.

Merry Christmas!

Birthday Bear

2008-12-13T14:36:00.000-08:00

Below is a letter Carlie wrote to her stuffed bear, Sophia, on her "birthday" (it has been 1 year since she was created at Carlie's 5th birthday party):

"I have owes (always) thot (thought) you wr (were) my (mine). Now I haf to Let You Go. Love, Mom"

Carlie said that she wrote that to let Sophia know that since she is now one, she can leave and go play without Carlie sometimes.

She said that it almost made her cry writing it, because she just loves Sophia so much. Which made me want to cry, because I can totally see us having this exact conversation when her future child goes through one of the many stages that require letting go.

And as Carlie starts year 6 tomorrow, this note might also be expressing mixed feelings about her own growing up. After all 6 is the big time, as in NO CARSEAT (except when your crazy mom makes you sit in one on the freeway). WoooHoooo!

Just in case I thought I was more

2008-12-09T14:10:00.000-08:00

coordinated, a better singer, or just about anything than Carlie. They invented the Wii.

Carlie just got the Wii for her 6th birthday which is on Sunday, but we celebrated with Bill's family over the weekend. She got the High School Musical game and it rates how well you sing. The lowest you can get is a "C," and let's just say I have never scored higher that a "C" - not ONCE. Carlie scores an "A" every time and she can't even read the words to the songs.

And then there was the bowling game in which she scored all spares and strikes and ended up scoring 72 points higher than me. I haven't beat her once in any of the games.

I remember when I used to have to let her win. Oh the good old days when I didn't feel like such a loser ;)

New phrases

2008-12-02T11:28:00.000-08:00

Mylie wanted to watch Hannah Montana this morning, so I turned on the TV version versus the Apple TV version, which means it actually has commercials on it. Her response? "NO! I don't want this one, I want Hannah! That is RUDE mommy. You are RUDE."

Mylie, Mylie, Mylie, I was just trying to show you alternatives to the episode you have watched 833 times already. Your loss. Ok, my loss, because that means I have to watch the old episode AGAIN.

A few firsts...

2008-11-23T19:40:00.000-08:00

First snowball fight
FIrst Snowman!

Mylie's first tahoe trip "I see Ocean!"
first time seeing snow!

First Friendship Feast with K Friends
First Movie - well half a movie!

We have been busy lately... and I finally got the pics up to prove it.

Pictures of the past....

2008-11-19T19:46:00.000-08:00

me
me, cj, mike
me and Kathryn
my mom
my dad
my mom and Luke
I just converted a ton of slides from my childhood, can you tell?

Carlie's First Conference

2008-11-19T19:23:00.000-08:00

We had our first ever conference regarding Carlie last week. She is doing fine, except she is apparently quite talkative in school. Which led to a "working towards standard" on pretty much all of the social skills. Apparently if you talk too much, you can't follow directions, stay on task, listen well to adults, or pretty much any other Kindergarten requirement you can think of. Who knew?

Afterwards, I mentioned that the conference went well with the exception of the talking and asked her; "Do you think you could please try to be quiet and listen to Ms Frank?"

"Not really. I have too many friends."

Well, o.k. then.

Contest...

2008-11-19T19:21:00.001-08:00

What character on TV does this look like? Think adult.

Potty training post #501

2008-11-10T13:20:00.000-08:00

For the past few weeks, Mylie has shown very little interest in the potty. And absolutely ZERO interest in big girl underwear. Every few days she will ask to go potty, but when I check her diaper, it is already full and warm.

Then on Saturday night, at a neighbor's house, she announced she needed to go. I discouraged her, because I was enjoying myself and wasn't up for a pointless potty trip. But she persisted, and I took her. And of course, she went successfully. And since then (with the exception of overnight), she hasn't had a single accident. She still insists on wearing a diaper, which works for me. Might as well have an insurance plan!

I am quite sure that tomorrow I will be posting that she has been having accidents all over the place, but for now, I am pretending like we are done. Wow, that was easy :)

Things my kids taught me this morning (and it is only 7:52am)

2008-11-07T07:52:00.001-08:00

Carlie's contribution - that you don't actually need an extensive wardrobe to be up on the fashion trends. Carlie's fashion sense has long included accessorizing for every occasion and changing clothes 10 times during an hour long bike riding session with the neighborhood boys. However, the trend has progressed from standard dress up to really dressing up. At a recent school carnival, she showed up with a belt as a headband. And I have to say, it looked pretty darn cool. And today she came down stairs with a layered look as seen above that I would never have thought of on my own (it is hard to see in the above picture, but that is a dress, a shirt and a tank layered over leggings). And she completely pulls it off.

Mylie's contribution - that anything grumpy said with a smile on your face makes it sound so much better. Carlie tends to complain the way I do, with a scowl on her face and a whine in her voice. But Mylie has a much better approach. "No, don't kiss me!" and "Don't push me!" (said as I tried to move her 2 inches) are both said with a huge smile and a giggle. And well, it just sounds so sweet, you can't get upset with her.

My mama votes Obama

2008-11-04T09:49:00.000-08:00

So my cousin has precious pictures of her infant daughter posted on her blog where she is wearing "My mama votes Obama" onesies. This cracked me up, and I thought how great it is that she can still use her daughter to advertise her political preferences.

Especially since my oldest daughter has her own opinions about EVERYTHING. But apparently not politicians. She told me that her class talked yesterday about who they will be voting for.

"Mom?" she asked. "Are we voting for Obama?"

"Why, honey?"

"Because Ms Frank asked us who we were voting for and we ALL said Obama."

"Why did YOU choose Obama?"

"Ummmm, because everyone else did."

Day 4 of Rain

2008-11-03T15:50:00.001-08:00

But we are having fun anyway!

Obligatory Halloween Pics!

2008-11-03T15:46:00.001-08:00

Our annual party was a blast... Carlie was a pirate by day and a bride by night. Mylie was a princess after I wrangled her into her dress and held her in it against her will. But you can see from the pictures above, she eventually got over it ;)

Little Miss Mylie

2008-10-23T22:50:00.001-07:00

Mylie was on a roll today, so I have to share:

1. As we opened the front door today, I noticed there was a shady sales guy walking door-to-door. I promptly returned inside to set our alarm and as Mylie and I walked back out, she asked in the loudest voice imaginable "Mommy, where is daddy?"

Thinking on my feet is where I generally get in trouble, so I stumbled out with "Ummm, upstairs sleeping. Let's hurry and get back so we can play with him!"

Mylie looked confused, but didn't call me on the fact that she knew good and well daddy was at work.

2. Mylie has a new game in the car. And I know I am biased, but it seems rather advanced to me. She asks "Mommy? Where did Carlie go?" (if you are noticing a theme with the where are people questions, you are spot on).

"Carlie is right next to you honey" I responded the first time. And then I glanced in the rear view mirror just in time to see a little smirk slide across her little face, as she said; "Where did Carlie go? I don't see her??"

And this is how we pass the time now in the car. Well, and she occasionally demands money, but that is a whole different story.

3. Brushing her teeth has suddenly become a nightmare. Not sure what the hang up is, because she has always loved it. So the last two nights, we threatened to cut off book reading if she didn't do it, and tonight we learned that this isn't a threat she cares about. "Night-Night" she told Bill and after he tried yet again to sway her.

So I took her into her room and put her jammies on, while offering one last time. "Do you want to brush your teeth so we can read a book?" And in perfect 2 year old speak: "Ummm, no thanks Mommy, I go night-night, please."

I am thinking tomorrow night I will threaten to keep her up all night until she brushes her teeth, maybe that will work better!

I can't even imagine what she must think of me

2008-10-16T14:10:00.001-07:00

Carlie has a very vivid imagination. And the current trend is for her to share all things that pop into her head as fact. Possibly, I am starting to believe, because she wants it to be real so bad that she makes it so.

So naturally, I have been wondering recently what her Kindergarten teacher has heard about us thus far.

Well here is one thing she has heard: that I drive so fast that the little boy who rides with us is scared to go in my car.

That is what she told her teacher when asked why her carpool pal wasn't at school today. So the teacher, of course, repeated it back to his mom as a possible explanation for his sudden reluctance to go to school.

Now most who read this, know that I may be the slowest driver there is. As in, I rarely leave the slow lane and have never gotten a single ticket.

So though this accusation is probably not detrimental, I would rather be accused of something I am at least guilty of. You know, like when my little drama queen tells me to 'throw her in the trash,' and I actually (briefly, of course) consider it.

Sibling Rivalry

2008-10-13T13:56:00.000-07:00

I swear up until Sunday, our girls hardly ever fought. They are nearly 4 years apart, so really, what is there to fight about? Carlie understands that Mylie is barely two and is generally patient with her. And though we have had our share of issues, fighting amongst the girls has not been a huge one.

And then Sunday happened. And just like that, they fight. Over EVERYTHING. Whose foot is where in the bathtub, who hit who, who looked at the other funny, who ate the other girl's snack, and on and on.

I saw a blurb on yahoo the other day that said "you (the parent) may be the reason your kids fight." I remember thinking, I don't even need to read that... WHEN AM I GOING TO LEARN ?!?

If only sports came so easy to me

2008-10-06T15:32:00.000-07:00

Bill always loses bets, always. And actually come to think of it, he never pays on his bets, so maybe I shouldn't be so worried about what transpired yesterday. Bill raced yesterday in the Mount Diablo challenge, which at least to him, is the grand finale of the race season.

Last year he got 28th (out of over 900), but leading up to the race he was a little nervous. Always competitive, he had lofty goals about being in the top 20 this time.

Since he has long contended that we aren't having more children, I offered up a little incentive for him to make his goal. If he got top 20, I would drop the third kid talk. I knew it was a risky challenge, because that was just the kind of incentive he needed.

Well, apparently he didn't want to leave any room for question, because at final tally, I believe he got 15th.

Of course, I immediately clarified that the bet only lasts for the year and that next year, he is going to have to make top 10.

Now I am kicking myself, why didn't I offer him this kind of incentive to ask for a raise? At least I would benefit from it too. Instead, I have a husband who is already planning his training for next year!

Cranberry is in the house!

2008-09-30T20:58:00.000-07:00

Carlie insists Cranberry thought of this on his own!
He chose the motorcycle because he likes red
Cranberry re-visiting classmates and neighbors Jonny and Mason

The class bear made a visit to our house today. He ate Mac & cheese for lunch and got a special treat, juice box. Carlie could not have been more excited, and you could feel the pressure as she worried about whether or not he would enjoy his stay at our house. Thank goodness he is going back to school tomorrow to join the kids on the pumpkin patch field trip. I am exhausted keeping up with him ;)

No more baby talk

2008-09-30T11:42:00.001-07:00

Our days of using cutesy words appear to be over. When Carlie and I pointed out a "fishy" the other day, Mylie immediately corrected us and said very seriously, "it is a FISH." Carlie and I looked at each other and started laughing.

And that was it. Since then she has started correcting everything we say.

If I tell her to go get "Car Car" for me, she calls for her "Cahyee!"

If I tell her to show me which animal is a doggy, she will reply with "this is the dog."

And most notably, if I tell her it is time to go night-night, she will say "I no want to go to sleep mommy."

She seems to be keeping track of which are mommy/daddy/Carlie made up words and which ones are real. Just seems crazy to me that she has enough experience with language to do that already!

Speaking of things you can't make up...

2008-09-28T06:23:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was one of those days that I will remember forever. Not because of my brother's fancy engagement party or because we had a fabulous morning with some friends. More because it was the day I stopped believing in Karma. Seriously (and this is going to be LONG).

So I agreed to pet sit for 3 families this weekend. Two of them a short drive away in San Ramon. The first one went without a hitch and the girls and I headed over to the other house, for what was supposed to be a quick stop in to feed a couple cats. Just as we were leaving, I noticed their sprinklers were flooding the neighborhood so I (feeling quite heroic) found the sprinkler box all on my own and turned them off. Nothing happened. I called around for help patiently, as my girls became less and less patient and started asking for lunch and to go home.

Getting frustrated with the girls, the sprinklers, and my inability to contact the family, we started driving home. Just as we were as FAR away as possible, they called telling me the sprinklers are "broken" and maybe I could do such and such "with some hoses in the back."

Because I am crazy, I turned my hungry, tired girls around and unloaded them once again. As I searched helplessly for the "hoses," I got hit square in the head by a giant apple that fell from a a tree taller than their house. I got hit so hard that my eyes started watering and I had bits of apple all over my hair and JUICE on my sunglasses. This is where I started my disbelief in Karma, when I realized that here I am going way beyond what I was asked to do, and now I have grumpy overtired kids, a giant headache and crunchy hair for the aforementioned engagement party.

But that was just the beginning. On the way to the engagement party, we thought we might exit early and get some stickers a little neighbor friend of ours wanted from Bill's work. Another good deed, right? But after exiting the freeway and stopping at the light for several minutes, we were rear-ended by another car that was also stopped at the light. How does that happen anyway? This rear-ending happened to be at a pretty busy intersection, so Bill and the hitter, both told me to pull over. I did, and guess what he did? He got back on the freeway and high-tailed it out of there.

So now with an apple induced headache and a license plate indented bumper (did I mention that I am also dying of Mylie's cold?), we headed to the party. All went well until Mylie tripped straight into the ONLY UNCOVERED part of a rock wall. Her already scratched up nose and eyes, now had a matching goose egg right on her forehead that was about the size of a half golf ball. Seeing as how I was having such a wonderful day already, I was (a) ready to go home and (b) completely paranoid that if she did start having concussion symptoms we were in the middle of NOWHERE.

But for some reason, we stuck it out. And I wish that was the end, since bad things happen in threes. But no, we had one more stroke of "luck" headed our way. So, when recapping my fabulous day: awful cold, apple head, hit and run, baby disfigurement; I can kind of see how the next thing came to be. As Bill drove us home after my much needed glass of wine, I kept noticing my ears were popping from my cold. And about 20 minutes into the drive home, I started feeling car sick. Which hasn't happened in years, especially in the front seat. I imagine it was some kind of combination of the glass of wine, cold medicine, not really feeling up to eating and my ear issues, but I started feeling sicker and sicker. And just as we pulled into the garage, I made it to the poor dog's water dish before it all came back up.

The good news is that we made it through the night. Mylie's goose-egg looks much less menacing, I feel much better, and (knock on wood) nothing has happened yet and we've been up for a whole hour already. Even better, Bill now has a story (the apple one, of course) that makes him laugh harder than I have seen him laugh in a long time. Thanks honey, I love you too.

What is worse than a toddler with a cold who can't breathe?

2008-09-25T08:46:00.000-07:00

Answer: A toddler with a cold who can't walk. Due to an unfortunate playground accident last night, Mylie is unable to walk. Well, if she does walk, she careens out of control towards the nearest table corner. So I am carrying the whining bundle of joy everywhere. Including to get various toys and to eat her every 10 minute snack. She came down with the worst cold yesterday and between the hurt ankle and stuffy nose, she was up all night last night. Even if she was sleeping, she was crying "owwwiiiiieeeee."

And just when I thought, I could pull the hurt, stuffy, tired baby (did I mention she also scraped all the skin off her nose yesterday at school?) together enough to get us out the door and take Carlie to school, Mylie had another surprise for me. One I thought we were long past. She pooped in the bathtub. In our bathtub, which was full of toys and water. Yay for me. Seeing as how it is only 8:50am, I have a feeling I have a long day in store.

You just can't make this stuff up ;)

Signs she is getting older

2008-09-23T20:23:00.001-07:00

A couple cute things happened today that show that our little car-car is turning into a big kid. As mentioned previously, Carlie has been having some issues lately with the older girls in the neighborhood, and it got really bad this past weekend. So bad, that I called one of the moms and we ended up sitting our two girls down to talk about what had been happening. Not sure what will happen when the three of them are together again, but it felt like progress.

I haven't talked to the other girl's mom, because I don't know her well and she had been out of town. So today when the girl showed up at a neighbor's house where we were all playing, I got a little nervous.

Not to worry though, because Carlie can take care of herself. With all the other kids and parents there, Carlie said as loudly as possible "xxxx, I NEED TO TALK TO YOU" and whisked her into the kitchen. None of us could believe that the authoritative voice came from little Carlie. So I think now, I will let her do her own thing. My job, is to just catch her when she falls.

The other thing worth mentioning is that today when I was taking a work call, Carlie came running home from a friend's house calling to me. I immediately shushed her and she followed me around impatiently waiting to tell me what she wanted to say so badly. Right as I was about to hang up, she handed me a note that said perfectly written "Jack Sam (heart) Carlie" and bolted out the door. It was so cute, her first note telling me what her plans were and she even signed it with love :)

Sorry Mylie, sometimes we are a little slow

2008-09-21T20:35:00.000-07:00

Mylie had her two year appt last week, which was uneventful to the point that her pedi and I talked mostly about Carlie. Afterwards she had 1 shot, which was also relatively uneventful and we went on our way.

The appointment was not even worth mentioning if that night wasn't the first night of the last 5 nights of completely screwed up sleep. Mylie has cried for hours each and every night, and had a grand total of 20 minutes worth of a nap this whole weekend.

Bill and I have racked our brains for a reason. Was it the shot? Turning two? Scared of the dark suddenly? But nothing seemed to click. Not even the fact that for the last two nights and again today when she screamed through her "nap," she repeatedly mentioned her diaper.

And then tonight, she called downstairs to me "mommy, i go potty, ok?"

I ran upstairs to put her on the potty, so she could pretend to go and then be "all done." But instead, when I got there, she had the potty all ready to go and said "i go pee pee, ok?" As soon as I lifted her on, I knew she was going to do it, because I could see her using all the right muscles.

So about two hours after the "pee pee in the potty" dance ended, I started thinking about how the other night, which just happened to be the same night as the doctor's appt I believe, she announced she had to go potty. I lagged in getting to her (because it is never the real deal) and when I got there she was naked and trying to get the light on in the bathroom. Right as I flipped the switch for her, she peed all over the floor.

I am a big fan of the theory that when they have sleep issues they are working on a new skill. And well, I think I finally figured out which one we are working on now!

Just guessing she watches too much TV...

2008-09-15T13:01:00.000-07:00

When questioned about why she continues to give her friend Jonny a hard time about playing with Grace (can we say jealous, much??):

I don't know, mom. Some boys just find me abrasive.

No explanation as of yet where she heard that one.

And because I am on a roll...

2008-09-14T13:17:00.000-07:00

We had an exciting day yesterday. Eventful for us, because our lives are generally pretty predictable. I woke up when I apparently dreamed that I heard Bill whispering "JJ" to me. I looked around the room and realized he was out riding. So after laying in bed for 20 minutes wondering if he was calling out to me from the dead (I know, I know), I finally called his cell phone. But instead of Bill answering at 6:45am, it was some other man. I stammered out something about dialing the wrong number and he just responded "yes" and hung up. Well when I went back to look, I had definitely dialed the right number. My already hyper-imaginative mind went into overdrive, and I couldn't think of a single way he could still be ok, so I started planning what the girls and I would do with our lives while I waited for the police to show up and give me the bad news.

When Bill finally pulled up on his bicycle around 8am (he was due back at 7:30am), I think I was just as shocked to see him as I would have been to see a police car. That was how far the other way I had gone in my imagination.

So with all that excitement out of the way at 8am, we headed via ferry into the city and had the most perfect day. Complete with lunch the next table over from Gavin Newsom (WHY would they put the only table with kids next to him? Wouldn't you think they would put us as far away as possible from him?). We checked out the huge Pier 1 Farmers Market and then walked to Pier 39 to check out the Sea Lions and ride the Carousel.

All day I couldn't help feeling like we won the lottery to still have Bill with us. But I guess my lesson wasn't over yet, because as we waited in line to board the ferry home, there was one more reminder. The woman behind us, who had a 2 year old in her arms, was chatting on a cell phone. When she hung up she began sobbing uncontrollably. Concerned, I asked her if everything was ok, and she began telling me that her husband had told her the night before that he was leaving her. Completely out of the blue, she said she had absolutely no warning. It was so sad listening to her story, as she held her perfect little blond baby who seemed so sad already. And the unraveling of her little life is just beginning.

Anyway, besides the drama going on in my head and with this woman, we had a drama free day. Which doesn't happen too often with two little girls in tow. I can't wait to do it again!

Carlie Can Read!

2008-09-14T13:11:00.000-07:00

Carlie had been able to sound out the basics for probably a year now, and has been pretty good at 3-4 letter words for the past few months. But since starting Kindergarten, she has made the final jump into being an official "reader." She just picks up random stuff and reads it to me now, it is so cute. And so amazing, how suddenly it just "clicks" for them!

A quick Carlie funny. Just now she was singing "Live or Let Die" but she thinks the words are "Little Wet Dad" - close, really close!

Happy LATE Birthday Mylie!

2008-09-14T12:57:00.000-07:00

I love it when people sing to me!
Build A Bear Success

Actual Birthday
With Jessica

Mylie had a very uneventful birthday on Wednesday. Or I should say, if it was eventful, we wouldn't know because we barely saw her.

She had school that morning and then came straight home for a 3 hour nap. Shortly after she woke up, we had dinner and had to rush off to Carlie's back to school night.

We made it up to her by having the previously mentioned cupcake party, and a trip to build a bear with BFF Jessica.

So far two has been pretty good. As long as I succumb to her commands such as 'do it myself' and "I walk," everything goes fabulously.

One going on Four

2008-09-08T14:17:00.000-07:00

Apparently Mylie thinks I am just joking when I talk about her turning "2."

For the past 4-5 months, if you asked her how old she was, she would respond "ONE!" and then if you asked her what her name was, she would respond "ONE!." In fact, when tested, it was revealed, that any question asked of her that she didn't understand would result in an answer of "one."

So in anticipation of the questions she is sure to get as her birthday approaches, I started coaching her last week on "two." I can see why this would be confusing to her, since she has no concept of birthdays or years. But when I would tell her to answer "two" to the age question, she inevitably would look at me and say "one?"

And then today, when her teacher asked if she was about to turn two, she even surprised me with her response. She shook her head, looked straight at her and said "No, I Four."

It Worked!

2008-09-06T08:24:00.000-07:00

Not a tear in the house. The party went very smoothly, unless you count the 4.0 Earthquake with an epicenter in the town next door. Apparently though, a couple jolts was all that was needed to keep the party flowing. Everyone had a great time and Mylie really loved the attention during the birthday song. The last guest left at 11:30pm, not bad for a 2 year old birthday party ;)

Here is to wishful thinking

2008-09-05T13:20:00.000-07:00

In the interest of blogging about something so it will go away, here is my big fear for the day.

Tonight is Mylie's 2nd birthday party. Because I have 5 3/4 years of parenting experience behind me, I tried to avoid having a party all together. All too often, the parties (particularly those at our house) end in tears. So my plan was to take Mylie and Jessica to Build A Bear on her actual birthday and skip the drama.

However, Carlie had different plans. My social planner just could not imagine a birthday passing without an all out birthday bash. So I reluctantly agreed to a 7 pm cupcake party. As in, have a couple neighbors over, have a cupcake and we are all done. I specified no gifts and really intended it to be a very informal gathering.

But this is where I start to realize that my daughter is a little mini-me, because once I committed to the cupcake party, I started inviting more and more people. Then, I started getting stressed about drinks and oh, should we have appetizers? And well, now, it has turned from a dessert open house to a 40 person party with a girls night for the moms after.

And here is where the concern comes in. Now that this has grown to a real live party, I am right back where I started. For some reason, my kids get overwhelmed when people are in our house. In our backyard, they are fine. In the front yard, ecstatic. Put a bunch of people in our house, and things fall apart quickly.

So please, please, please, Carlie & Mylie, SHARE YOUR TOYS and DO NOT CRY OR WHINE. Please!?!?

And so it begins

2008-09-03T11:10:00.000-07:00

The reality of having girls is that though everything is cute and sweet up until school-age, girls are MEAN once they hit school. And last night, Carlie and I both got a pretty good dose of what is to come.

Two older girls (10 and 11) that she plays with all the time, that I let into my house nearly everyday, and that I have enjoyed having around very much, were over playing along with the 90 or so boys in the neighborhood.

Now, I learned in my own Kindergarten days that 3 girls is never a good number, but it didn't stop me from being sad and even shocked when I walked into the house to hear Carlie begging the girls to stop being mean and share their secrets with her.

I asked what was going on and they informed me that they were sharing secrets about "Science" that she wouldn't understand. And then they giggled and walked away. Irritated, I asked them to go outside until they could all get along. The older girls walked out and Carlie fell apart, mad at me, of course.

After about 20 minutes, we went back outside and she tried again. I walked over to where the kids were all sharing Popsicles and watched as the two girls continued to whisper and laugh and tell stories, while looking in Carlie's direction. She held strong and would look at me every now and then with an expression that broke my heart. If I tried to come near the group, the older girls would giggle and run away from me. So Carlie would be left behind and at that point, she would always ask me, can ONE of them please go home?

The parents were all there but, as I am sure I would be if it wasn't my daughter falling apart, unaware of what was going on.

The good that came out of this is that Carlie showed that she is getting tougher in her old age. Once she regained composure, she kept it, and played with the other kids. Unfortunately, I am not as forgiving when it comes to that kind of stuff. I know it happens, it is the way girls are, blah, blah, blah, but gosh it doesn't make it any easier does it?

Adventures of a Kindergartener

2008-08-29T12:55:00.000-07:00

Here it is Friday afternoon, and since Monday morning when we stepped out of our house at 7:45am, Carlie has had about 10 minutes that didn't involve at least one (and generally about 20) other kids. It has been one non-stop playdate.

It has been great, and she has loved every minute of it. Downtime is actually not a requirement for Carlie at all, apparently something she inherited from her mother. As we wind up a long day at an amusement park, she will inevitably invite the whole neighborhood over for ice cream. She just never gets tired of being surrounded by people.

The downside of this first week madness is that I have barely gotten a chance to talk to her at all. When at the pool, I stand guard over Mylie at the baby pool while she swims independently with her friends in the big pool. When at the park, she and her friends seem to find the furthest away spot that is still within the "acceptable range."

It is so strange to me that her adventures are starting to include me less and less. That people in the neighborhood are starting to share stories about my daughter that I never knew occurred. And that her dreams are now reaching well beyond the safety of our little home.

And the truth is, my independent first-born stopped looking back for me when she was 2 years old, but it still hurts just a little bit with each new step she takes towards independence.

Yep, today was the day....

2008-08-25T14:26:00.000-07:00

All 90 minutes of it went off without a hitch. Carlie ran out of class and gave me an uncharacteristic gigantic hug. I asked her how it went and her summary was as follows "we ate a snack and did recess for 1 minute."

Sounds like a great day to me!

Kindergarten really pushes a girl to do new things (including wear jeans!)

2008-08-25T14:14:00.000-07:00

For the past two weeks, Carlie has been begging us to take her training wheels off. With our crazy busy schedules we didn't get around to it until this past weekend.

As we headed to the park, Bill and I debated endlessly over the merits of teaching her in grass or on concrete, whether her seat was high enough, whether we had sabotaged her by giving her training wheels and who knows what else.

We both knew that there would probably be lots of falls, and much like her father, Carlie tends to have issues with things she doesn't naturally excel at.

Turns out, we could have spared those brain cells. The progression of pictures above shows about a 5 minute span. And the last picture shows her leaving daddy in the dust 30 minutes after we arrived.

Apparently she takes after her daddy even more than we realized, the bike just came naturally.

Mylie has me wrapped

2008-08-19T20:46:00.000-07:00

I don't know what is going on with Mylie right now, but she is just an absolute joy. Even when she randomly woke up at 2 in the morning last night, the entire time she was awake, it was nothing but sweet, cute, affectionate Mylie.

Though I should be relishing it, I am getting nervous because as I lay her down each night, and she blows me kisses and says "bye bye momma! see ya morrow!," I get so sentimental. And well, you can probably guess what comes after that... here's a hint... it rhymes with "maybe" which is exactly how I am starting to feel about the whole third child possibility.

What is probably the biggest contribution to this is that my energy level has been through the roof lately, ever since I started my much needed iron supplements. I don't even remember the last time I had this much energy. So what was before a simple matter of energy and job logistics is now turning into "what is stopping us now?"

Bill will undoubtedly read this and come home with a very long list of all the things that should be stopping us. And he is usually right, if only I would listen to him....

Is this really happening?

2008-08-17T10:10:00.000-07:00

Tuesday came the word, that Longs has been bought by CVS. So after 8 short years with Longs, it is time for me to move on. Word on the street is that we have a couple months before my official last day.

So for now, the plan is to enjoy Carlie's big debut into Kindergarten and Mylie's terrible, I mean fabulous, twos. I am so excited, yet so nervous, since my position at Longs accounts for nearly HALF of our income!

On another note, Carlie registered for school last week. As the office woman handed me the little slip of paper that identified her teacher, she said "wow! you got lucky!" Taking that as a good sign, we walked out and headed towards the Kindergarten classrooms to sneak a peak. There we ran into an acquaintance and started talking. Turns out her daughter also got Ms Frank. A half hour on the playground later, Carlie's declared that she and her new "best friend" Grace, were "sick of boys chasing us" and they took off hand in hand.

We also found out that one of Carlie's closest friends, Jonny, is in her class. Jonny and Carlie have had some recent sleepovers and have a ton of fun together. So it is good to know she will have him and Grace to help her kick start the year on the right foot. Nothing like having friends to make a big transition go well.

Even if Carlie gets a goofy smile on her face and talks about kissing one of those friends entirely too much!

What would Naomi do?

2008-08-10T22:38:00.000-07:00

Carlie had a bad night tonight in the sassy-ness department and ended up in her room for the night at 7pm. When I went in to talk to her, I asked her how she was going to practice talking more nicely to us.

Her response was that maybe she would try talking more like my friend Naomi, because "she always talks so nicely and never says anything mean."

What is particularly funny about this comment is that, though Naomi is an extremely nice person, Carlie has only seen/talked to her once in the past year.

Naomi actually moved to Texas this time last year and we saw her last month for, I don't know, 4 hours? So I am sad to know that the only role-model worthy person she knows moved so far away.

Anyway, later when we were discussing proper techniques for speaking with someone, I asked her again how she would handle a situation in which she felt like answering in a sassy tone.

Her response? "Ummm. I don't know. I guess I will just think... what would Naomi do?"

Go ahead Naomi, send this post to your mom. She will be so proud ;)

Little update -this morning Carlie made up a song about her new role-model: Naomi is so nice, yes, yes, yes, she is. Naomi is perfect, how does she do it? I wish I were like Naomi, yeah, yeah, yeah, I do. Maybe mommy can be more like N-aaaa-oooo-mmm-iiii too.

Movie Star Mylie

2008-08-08T12:57:00.001-07:00

Buggies

2008-08-07T15:48:00.000-07:00

I have been meaning to share this one for a few days now. Somewhere along the line, Mylie got the terms "buggies" and "boogers" (as her daycare calls runny noses) mixed up.

So naturally, with her last cold, she repeatedly asked me if I would clean off the "buggies" that were in her nose. I thought it was funny and started calling them buggies as well. Which in hindsight, was a big mistake. Because Mylie is not even a little bit afraid of real bugs, whether it is a fly or a huge spider, they are just science projects to her.

By this point, you can probably guess where I am going with this. But the other day, Mylie found a dead (I hope) june bug kind of thing on the ground and immediately picked it up and ran over to me. Right as I realized what she had in her hand, she shoved it up her nose while saying "Mommy! I got a buggy!!"

Needless to say, she and I had a one sided conversation about how buggies don't go in your nose and that those are actually called "boogers" - totally different, you know?

I would love to report that she understood completely, but she just stared at me blankly and occasionally asked where her buggy went. Here's hoping that this is one of those rare parental messages that actually gets through.

My bag lady

2008-08-06T12:04:00.000-07:00

Bill casually mentioned to me last night that maybe some of the toys in the playroom are more hassle than the enjoyment the kids actually get out of them. I am not sure why, but that little thought sparked a fire in me.

Such a fire in fact, that last night I cleaned out so many toys in the playroom that we no longer need a toy chest, or the shelves that lined the walls. I nervously brought the girls in this morning, and all Carlie said was "wow! cool mom!" and off she went to school.

With that victory under my belt, the first thing I did was tackle her room. I dumped everything into the middle of the floor and started from scratch. 4 garbage bags later, her room is perfect.

I know she won't miss a thing, because the child has no real attachments to anything other than dress up clothes and microphones.

And of course, you learn a lot from going through someone's belongings. And I can pretty much sum Carlie up as "bag lady." Seriously, what is the deal with the bags? I emptied 3 backpacks and EIGHT purses of straight up junk. And you know what else I found filled to the brim with junk? Her sleeping bag's case, my old cosmetic bag, some zip locks from the kitchen, and of course, several pairs of her sisters' socks!?!?

So now to get to the fun stuff, what on earth do I do with the playroom now that it is empty?

A little learning over spilled milk

2008-08-05T14:05:00.000-07:00

I have a memory from my childhood, where my girlfriend accidentally spilled her milk three times during one dinner at my house. It reminds me of when you are learning to hit a baseball, and they tell you to look at the ball to make contact. I think she was so focused on the milk, and not making my mom mad again, that she had no other option but to spill it again.

And so that is one of the things that as a parent, I was never going to get upset about. What is a little spilled milk after all? And honestly, no matter how I felt inside when a juice or milk or dinner plate went crashing to the floor, my reactions have been very calm and collected. Because I always fell back on that promise to myself.

And then came today. But first, let's back up to yesterday. Last night, Carlie decided to pour herself a glass of milk in one of Bill's sports bottles. This "glass" of milk turned out to be an entire sports bottle worth, and well, it would take her a week to drink that much milk. I mentioned that to her and told her she would just have to drink milk from that bottle until it was gone.

For whatever reason, she was not happy with that at all. And, of course, made it known. But I stuck by my guns. So today when she wanted to dip her chocolate chip cookie in some milk, I pointed to her bottle. Because she is her mother's daughter, she decided that she would not eat the cookie if it meant not being able to dip it. And sat stubbornly staring at her bottle while the rest of us enjoyed our just out of the oven cookies. And then, she did what would have certainly put me over the edge if I didn't have this "milk memory," she kicked over the entire bottle by (giving you the benefit of the doubt here, Carlie) accident.

So now half a container of milk was all over my hardwood floor, my carpet, under my couch, under my entertainment center and on every toy within a 6 foot radius. Seriously, this milk covered some serious ground. And you know what I did? I didn't yell at her, I didn't even get up. I pointed to the towels and waited while she tried to clean it up. She kept looking at me nervously, wondering what was to come next. Punishment? Yelling? Her friends sent home?

And that is when it occurred to me, that despite my attempts to be nice about milk. That is just one thing that I have been calm about, when there are clearly more that I have reacted more intensely to. So as I go forward in this parenting thing, I am going to make more of an effort to expand my "milk memory" into my reactions to all the day to day things that don't really matter in the grand scheme of things.

A little spilled milk, a little page missing from a favorite picture book, a little broken faucet, a little bug up the nose. Really, just things to look back and laugh at.

Our little My-ty

2008-07-30T15:49:00.000-07:00

important things to talk about

the princess takes a duck for a walk

Our neighbor had a baby over the weekend, so Jessica and big sister Anna, stayed with us. Jessica at 19 months is the ultimate toddler. She is just so mellow and easy going and all the things that make a baby irresistible.

And it is a good thing that Mylie is so darn cute, because otherwise, I might try to make a trade.

But much like my laid back college roommate changed me for the better, Mylie seems to have learned a lot from her 36 hours as Jessica's twin. Suddenly she is just a smiling, going with the flow, little bundle of joy.

It might have helped that she seems to have had a major language explosion recently. It just seems so easy for her to tell us what she needs now.

Last night I heard her calling "Carlie!!," and when she didn't answer "Car-Car?" and I suddenly realized that she can now say Carlie's name clearly, and even knows how and when to use her nickname.

And then today when I sneezed, she didn't even look up from what she was doing and said "bless you." Surprised, I said "thank you Mylie!" and she turned around with a huge smile and said perfectly "You are welcome mommy."

And perhaps most impressive and disappointing at the same time, she can now say "Caillou" perfectly. You may have to be a mom to know why that isn't necessarily a good thing.

P.S. It may appear from these pictures that I never dress Mylie or comb her hair, but rest assured, she starts every day perfectly presentable. I am just not great at the maintenance part.

Denali's Understanding of the English Language

2008-07-23T14:58:00.000-07:00

So if you were to stumble on this blog and read it beginning to end, you probably still wouldn't know we have a dog. Her name is Denali and she is a huge cute fluff ball Samoyed that really, for the most part, stays out of trouble.

That is unless we leave her inside when we go out to play. Then she retaliates by peeing in the house. But other than that, she likes to lounge around all day. And my only really complaint about her is the crazy fur. She is great with the kids, especially Mylie, who actually pays attention to her.

Anyway, as I mentioned, she doesn't make herself known too much. So I never thought twice when I said in front of her yesterday that she would be groomed today. Last night, when she started making the same noises of pain that she makes only after a grooming, Bill mentioned that maybe she was anticipating the session. I laughed it off and commented that she always seems to come down with something right before we go out of town or she is about to be groomed.

Wait a minute, this is starting to sound familiar, Bill does the exact same thing (well not for the grooming part).

Anyway, back to Denali. When the groomer arrived today, I opened the door and she said "Hi! Is this Denali's house?" And I kid you not, that dog back pedaled out of the room faster than she has moved in years. Just because someone said her name, she KNEW.

So now that I know I have been underestimating her all this time, it is time to start her on some chores or something. And at the very least be more discreet when I talk about her. And I wonder how she feels about my routine threats to get rid of her over the fur? Poor girl.

More Pics

2008-07-17T12:28:00.001-07:00

Solvang
Santa Barbara

Personality Differences

2008-07-17T11:52:00.001-07:00

I know I have blogged about this before, but I just cannot get over how different my kids are turning out to be. When Carlie turned 1 year, I told everyone who asked, to get her blocks. We didn't have any really, and so I wanted her to have all different ones. Mega Blocks, soft blocks, hard blocks. And since then, they have each been pulled out only by friends. When I pull them out for Carlie, she quickly wanders away to play dress up.

And then there is Mylie. In the past few days, Mylie has really become fascinated by blocks. She spent more time this morning playing with blocks than her sister has in her entire 5 1/2 years. And that is just one of many, many, differences. Mylie plays with dolls and the play kitchen on a whole different level than Carlie ever did (as in for something other than a prop in a play).

And Mylie really wants me to play WITH her, not just watch her play. Everything is "mommy come play," which is something I don't think has ever come out of Carlie's mouth.

Carlie is our performer, she is always blasting music, dancing and singing. She loves to dress up and order her friends/sister around. She is a leader by default.

When I think about where they will go and what they will become, it almost seems clearly defined already. Especially the part about who is going to be taking care of Bill and I in our old age ;)

Times are a changin...

2008-07-14T19:38:00.001-07:00

There have been lots of changes around our house. And I am not just talking about the great Beers switch to Apple/Mac. My brother insists that I bought the Costco size Mac kool-aid because I have gone so Apple crazy, so quickly.

But the real news is what is going on with the girls. Carlie is just about finish up her Kindergarten summer program and I see such a huge difference in her. She is so much more confident and she comes home everyday with tales of how her BFF from yesterday "broke up with her."

In the past, this kind of event would mean a show down over going to school the next day. But not anymore. "Don't worry mom, I have lots more friends. Besides, she will like me again tomorrow."

I asked her today what her teacher will tell me when I meet with her next week. "She will say that I am really good and she likes me a lot. She likes me because I am the only one in the whole class who hasn't been in the 'thinking square' yet." I have to say, I had reservations about what kind of student she would be. She has a stubborn streak in her that comes out at the most unexpected times. So it was nice to hear that she is doing well (at least from her perspective!).

And it is hard to believe I was just blogging a few weeks ago about Mylie's 1-2 word conversations. Now, on the way back from Target, our conversation went like this:

MOMMY! I WANT GUM!

No gum Mylie, do you want water?

I don't want that! I WANT GUM!

You have to wait until you are bigger.

Car-Car has gum. I WANT GUM. I all done my seat. I want OUT. I WANT GUM!

What is it they say about being careful what you wish for? And by the way, she STILL won't reliably identify a dog in a book.

Overdue Pictures

2008-07-03T09:34:00.001-07:00

Graduation Day!
Girls Graduation Dance
First Day of Kindergarten
Mylie and BFF Jessica
We have a kid who likes the swings!

A New Perspective

2008-07-01T16:34:00.000-07:00

Just 5 short months after Gi-Pa passed, Gi-Gi, his wife of more than 60 years passed away today.

Carlie has experienced a lot of losses in the past several months, and I have been reluctant to tell her about her Great-Grandmother's deteriorating condition. But it wasn't hard to miss, since each time we saw her, she was less and less the Gi-Gi we all loved so much.

Whenever the subject of her illness came up, I was inundated with questions about God and death that I never felt quite qualified to answer.

So today, I was dreading telling her the news. But this kid always surprises me, and today was no exception.

Me: Carlie, I have some bad news for you. Gi-Gi passed away today.

Carlie: (tears in her eyes) Oh no! Where is she now?

Me: I guess she is in heaven with Gi-Pa

Carlie: (face lights up) Well then, today is her lucky day!

And off she went to play.

Favorite Things

2008-06-29T19:43:00.000-07:00

We are back from a whirlwind little trip to Santa Barbara, that included an early morning marathon drive down, 2 nights there and then a very broken up trip home. On the way back, we stopped in Solvang and San Luis Obispo. All three cities were uniquely awesome and we all loved our little getaway.

Although our trip included many highlights, the one that sticks out the most in my mind is when I asked Carlie one night what her favorite thing was about her day in SB. "Everything!" she exclaimed. "I loved everything." Assuming that Mylie had no idea what a "favorite" was I didn't bother to ask her. But the next night, when Carlie again responded with "Everything!" I decided to see what Mylie had to say. "Mylie? What was your favorite part of the day?" Effortlessly she replied, "I ike the BUS!"

And she did, she LOVED the bus. She loved it so much that wherever we went and whatever we did; she pointed at buses, yelled to passerbyers when we were on the bus, and asked repeatedly for another ride when we were idling to much for her liking.

Although Carlie wouldn't commit to a favorite, she seemed to most enjoy making new friends at the hotel pool. I couldn't get over how effortless it seemed for her to walk up to someone she had never seen before and invite them over to play. Our previously shy, in making new friends, little girl came out of her shell in a big way. We owe that to the "Kindergarten Camp" she has started. Which is basically Kindergarten summer school at one of the local elementary schools. Being in the routine of Kindergarten and meeting all new people has really brought out a side of her we have yet to meet.

Once again, just when I start to think I know my kids, they go and change completely!

Just a sample of my day...

2008-06-22T21:42:00.000-07:00

So Bill has been out of town today, and I was on my own. Usually, I find that the kids are on their best behavior when Bill is out of town, so I was undaunted.

Really, I should have been worried when a summer karaoke party ended at 10:30pm last night, and Carlie still got up at her usual 7am. But I was ever optimistic, and navigated my way through the morning.

I am not sure when I realized that I had lost the battle, but it wasn't when my toddler decided that everything in our cart should be chucked at innocent bystanders. And it wasn't when Carlie started having meltdowns over a lemonade stand that Mylie really wanted to contribute to (by drinking all the lemonade, playing with the money, and just being a typical baby sister).

No, it happened sometime after the incident where I was unloading the dishwasher, and Mylie, who had been playing quietly in the playroom (note to self: always be suspicious if she is not hanging on me) came running over and dropped something in my hand. I looked down to find a mound of poop in my hand. Yes, she had undone her diaper and pooped in the playroom. Not sure what to do, she did the logical thing, and brought it to mommy to hold. Of course!!

And that should have made the rest of the evenings events seem trivial. But then there was the toothpaste smearing incident that involved an entire tube of toothpaste, Mylie's hair, our bathroom walls, and shockingly not one speck on her teeth.

I won't even go into details on the grand finale, which involved me trying to take the garbage to the street in my jammies, without a bra or makeup, and finding several males on the block doing the same thing. Let's just say they are undoubtedly feeling sorry for Bill right now ;)

Our Rockstar

2008-06-18T14:50:00.000-07:00

Carlie spent the last hour straight dancing in the playroom to Shrek music. You know the song, "hey now, you are a rockstar...?" Well apparently that one has gone to her head. She is decked out in rockstar gear from head to toe, and she just came up to me and asked me if I would like her to "sign my book."

"Book?" I asked confused. "Did you write a book?"

NOOOO, MOM! I mean do you want my autograph? If you pay me, I will sign your book."

umm, I am your mom. don't I get your autographs for free?

That doesn't make any sense mom, how about if I get some money out of your purse?

I don't think so, but good try.

Ok then, I will sign it for free. What is your name?

M-O-M-M-Y

No, look (shows me her ensemble, complete with eyeroll), I am a rockstar, I need your real name. You just don't understand rockstars DO you??

You can never aim too high

2008-06-16T14:42:00.000-07:00

The other night as I was tucking Carlie into bed, we started talking about what she wanted to be when she grew up.

"You can be anything you want to," I assured her, "An astronaut, the president, absolutely anything."

Her face completely lit up, and I couldn't wait to hear what she would say next, "Even a PRINCESS?!!???"

Hmmm... I could have sworn, we were getting out of the princess stage!?

And a couple cute conversations with Mylie:

"Want a bite mama?" as she held up a slobbery chip. Against my better judgement, I took a bite. I was instantly rewarded with a huge Mylie smile and another new phrase: "Want another one?" she asked perfectly. Doesn't sound like much, but it is always amazing to hear perfectly formed sentences.

And a new milestone... remembering what happened previously:

Me: "What did you do at school today?"

Mylie: "Shala gave me milk"

Me: "Carlie? Did Shala give Mylie milk today?"

Carlie: "Oh ya!, That was all she did today was drink milk."

Yay! She remembered her day :)

Graduation Day

2008-06-12T15:08:00.000-07:00

Today was preschool graduation day. I went with camera in hand, expecting to capture a picture of Carlie receiving her diploma, which I did (and will post shortly). However, I didn't realize that I should have brought the camcorder, because the "entertainment" consisted of the two female graduates (Carlie and her friend Lauren) dancing and putting on a show. It was super cute.

Carlie has had so many firsts in the past couple weeks. She performed a hip-hop show at the Dean Lesher Theater (aka the REAL theater in Walnut Creek), with both sets of grandparents, great-grandma (gi-gi) and even my Aunt Kelley from El Segundo all sitting in the front row. I think Bill and I were more nervous than she was. But she got out there and did it, and actually looked semi-coordinated in the process. We were so proud.

She has taken to diving for toys and doing flips in the pool. It just seems like every time I turn around, she is doing something new. Which has been so fun, because at this age, it seems like it has been a long time since I was really surprised she could do something. It just seems like she can do everything now.

Everything that is, except maybe lower case letters and cursive. Which her teacher told me today, she can do very well, but refuses to do. Cursive? Before Kindergarten? Her teacher also shed some light onto her school behavior, which apparently is very good unless a certain friend is there. Apparently she is "bossy and very mean to other kids" when this friend is there. I asked Carlie about it, and her response told me just how little impact I have on her behavior; "do we really have to talk about me being nice all the time AGAIN?"

The big crash

2008-06-06T11:35:00.000-07:00

So unless you have been within 100 feet of Carlie in the past 24 hours, you probably haven't heard the news that I backed into another car yesterday. Yes, despite my beepers and back up camera, I just never saw the tiny sports car behind me until my beepers beeped too late. Anyway, I got out and looked both cars over and saw NOTHING. My car had a little black smudge on it and the other car looked dirty but perfect.

So, feeling like an honorary citizen, I left a note on the car with my phone number and told them to call me if they saw any damage. As I drove away, I actually thought to myself, the only way I will hear from them is if they want to thank me for being so nice and leaving my number.

Fast forward to a few hours later, the phone rings. A nice man thanks me for leaving a note on his BMW (really? I hadn't even noticed that it was a BMW) and proceeds to tell me that there is damage and he would like my insurance info.

Shocked, I asked what damage, and he mentioned a "crack" in his bumper. So I asked him to send me a picture and to get a quote for the damage. "Sure" he said, "I really don't know how much a new bumper will run you. And you probably won't want to put this on your insurance. Sometimes it is easier to just pay cash." UGGGGHHHH - that is what I get for being honest. A con artist. There is NO WAY he needs a new bumper.

Note to self: stop being so nice. And while I am at it, stop teaching my girls such silly things as honor and integrity. Seriously, I am starting to think it gets you nowhere.

In case you wanted to know

2008-06-05T14:59:00.000-07:00

who something in our house belongs to, just ask Mylie. In today's bag of tricks, everything is assigned an owner. A partial list of what she has told me today:

That's daddy's car
That's daddy's phone
That's mommy's dress
That's doggy's wawa (water)
That's kitty's treat
That's mommy's milk
That's baby's stroller
That's baby's cup

And I would have to guess that this is what kept her up last night until roughly 9:45 and got her up again around 4:45am? Because Bill and I need some explanation...

And to add to her new phrases...

2008-06-04T11:57:00.000-07:00

Mylie do you want a cheese sandwich for lunch?

That yucky!

You love cheese sandwiches!

(scrunches up nose) That yucky, no tank you.

Hmmm... wonder where she got that one from?

A few phrases Mylie has picked up recently...

2008-06-03T14:02:00.000-07:00

I be right back
I mine! (I do it myself)
I don't know
Where did it go?
up-to (open)
It all gone
baby wear dress (for dolls)

And my personal favorite, she has been addressing me as "Carlie's Mommy"

Where did my baby go?

2008-05-30T08:11:00.000-07:00

As frustrating as the last couple of midnight wakings have been, I could tell by the 4 hour naps that Mylie was working hard at something. Well today, I found out just what that was.

Generally when I go in to get her out of her crib, I am welcomed by, "Mama? Ju? (juice?) EAT!" or some variation of that.

However, I swear this morning, it went exactly like this:

"Mama? Dadda go to work?"

Shocked: "Yes, daddy went to work!"

"Dadda, go to work in caaaarrrrr?"

"Yes! Daddy went to work in his car!"

"Hahaha, Dadda go to work in caaaarrrrr! EAT?"

Our room with a view!

2008-05-29T14:38:00.000-07:00

My cousin came and went (we had a great time!) and there was absolutely no screaming from Mylie. I mean seriously, this blogging to make it go away, it works! Anyway, we had company on Friday and Saturday. Sunday we had a couple BBQ's to attend, and on Monday, Bill and I got away for our very first overnight without the kids since before 5.5 year old Carlie was born! It was awesome. Above is a picture of our view from our balcony. I seriously felt like we owned the place. The hotel was dead and we were right in the main courtyard. They even gave us a box of stuff to make smores on our firepit! So much fun.

It it me or does Bill even make a bicycle cruiser look like he is on a motorcycle?

Things have suddenly gotten crazy

2008-05-19T13:19:00.000-07:00

So crazy in fact, that I can't even remember any cute or funny things that have happened in the past week. That would be because I can barely remember our schedule from one day to the next. And don't even ask what we did over the weekend, because I won't remember. No, not even on Monday morning.

However, this entry is very important. Because my cousin is coming to visit us this weekend, and so is my little brother. And on Sunday, I will be driving them both to the airport. And well, Mylie is going through a little phase (ok make that a big, long, obnoxious phase) that includes a lot of ear-splitting screaming. Not because she is upset, but just because she likes to hear herself scream. Oh, she also loves the fact that people stop and look at her, which apparently unlike her parents, is something she actually wants to happen.

So as mentioned previously, I am hoping that putting it in writing will make it GO AWAY. Because otherwise, I am going to have a deaf cousin who will be wondering if her current pregnancy was a huge mistake. And a deaf brother who will refuse to be in the car with his niece ever again.

Happy Mother's Day!

2008-05-11T07:28:00.000-07:00

Bill is sick today (has been in bed since Thursday), so no big celebration for me today. However, Carlie planted a couple seeds in a pot that she decorated for "Thanks Mother's Day" at school. And by some fluke of nature, we discovered last night that it is actually growing! Seems like that is some pretty good timing by her preschool teacher. I figure that has to be a sign that things are going to get better.

So the big news of the weekend is that Mylie has learned to say "sit." Except when she says it, it sounds exactly like "s*it." Here are a few examples of the public humiliation I endured yesterday:

1. "Doggy s*it!"
2. Frustrated when her doll won't go in the stroller the way she wants "s*it baby, s*it!"
3. When I wanted her to stay with me in the doctor's waiting room "No s*it, mommy!"
4. In the pharmacy, waiting for daddy's rx: "I s*it!" as loud as humanly possible

As we went through our day yesterday, I kept wondering if I should explain it or ignore the people who stared at us funny. Eventually, I just started repeating it correctly: "You want to sit?"

Oh, I hope this phase is a short one. Nothing makes you feel like people are judging your parenting skills more than a toddler yelling profanities at the top of their lungs.

20 Months Milestones

2008-05-08T12:02:00.000-07:00

So Mylie is 20 months old this weekend, and becoming more like her sister every day. In fact, I ran into an old neighbor today and she couldn't get over how much Mylie looks like Carlie now. But to me, the similarity is mostly in mannerisms. She has turned herself into a little mini-me of Carlie. Mimicking every move (good and bad).

Anyway, today was a big day for her. We met some friends at the park and she patiently waited her turn for this big rope ladder that she was conquering.

I am not sure what surprised me more, that after three tries she went from not being able to get up one rung to scaling to the top, or that she would wait for her turn. I didn't even have to prompt her (which I find suspicious, because Carlie still needs to be reminded to take turns now and then).

The sweetest part of this was that when a kid would push in front of her in line, she would look up at me with her huge eyes and say "I turn?" in the sweetest little voice.

Oh Mylie, I hate it when my kids have to learn that life is just not always fair.

So funny that I should post that yesterday...

2008-05-08T09:02:00.000-07:00

because last night Mylie was up from 12am-4am. She has never, and I repeat never, done this. She would just scream and scream from her room and then I would go check on her and she would be as happy as can be. Asking to watch Teletubbies and to sing 'Wheels on the bus.'

So in the spirit of blogging to make something go away... Mylie, this just isn't working for any of us.

My confession for my girls

2008-05-07T14:47:00.000-07:00

My plan is to someday print this out so my girls can read the details of their childhood.

So here goes my big confession: I love to blog about the things they are doing that drive me crazy. Why? Because if I put it down in writing, it often miraculously goes away.

One of the great mysteries in life. Maybe it's because all things pass any way. Or maybe it is because putting it in writing releases its hold on me.

Whatever it is, it works.

Random things going on at our house

2008-04-30T16:12:00.000-07:00

1. Mylie has taken to taking off her zippered jammies at night and then screaming until we come in and put them back on. After we put them on, she is out like a light. I know that the solution is to let her learn the hard way. But let me tell you, easier said then done. After an hour, Carlie can't sleep and Bill and I miss out on our treasured alone time. Well I guess we have it, but it feels an awful lot like Mylie is there.

2. I took our neighbors to school yesterday without Carlie. So today when Jack was telling Carlie about it, he mentioned that I said something funny. The mom heard the conversation and said Carlie kept asking him, "who said something funny?" and when he would repeat "your mom" she would say "maybe you mean Mylie?," no he would assure her, it was your mom. "Hmmmm..." she said finally, "My mom isn't usually funny."

3. The girls had their pictures taken Monday. Here is a link that may or may not work for them: http://smilestore.picturepeople.com/my/images?cg=207294587117221394. I know, the petticoats are ridiculous. I just couldn't resist! Two things to note here. One, Mylie has a jelly bean in her mouth for all the pictures. That was the only thing I could do to keep her from screaming through the entire process. Two, the pictures where Mylie is cracking up are the last few. Hence, the look of frozen resignation on Carlie's face. I find it amusing that when one is just warming up, the other is clearly DONE. So we got some cute ones, but it would be cuter if they were both smiling and looking at the same time. Way too much to expect from a 5 and 1.5 year old apparently.

4. The good news about Mylie being able to take her jammies off, is that she is that much closer to taking her pants on and off. Which means, she can actually really potty train. This is exciting because the sitting on the potty for hours stuff is getting old. To me that is, to her, it is the thrill of a lifetime.

5. Mylie is practicing real temper tantrums now. Usually something like this precludes a new milestone in talking or cognition. So I should be looking at this as an exciting developmental milestone. But instead, I am busy trying not to be embarrassed when everywhere she goes, she finds some reason to throw something across the room. And it is definitely not lost on her what gets to mommy. If she is really mad, she grabs my cell phone and chucks it at the hardest surface she can find.

That is all the excitement I could remember for now...

Pics of both Carlie and Mylie at 19 months..

2008-04-28T14:09:00.000-07:00

Thought it would be fun to see the differences!

And A Few More Pics

2008-04-28T13:08:00.001-07:00

Pictures: My cousin Darcie having a sleepover at our house, neighbors trying to "share" the computer (look at the boys faces!), neighbor Jessica and Mylie having dinner.

A Girl Has To Be Prepared

2008-04-28T13:01:00.000-07:00

After TWO face down in the pool episodes in the last two weeks, Mylie has decided you can never be too safe when there is water in the world. So, she absolutely would not take off her new pool float today!

Also important is to have your headphones on at all time with Shrek blasting and to make sure you have your camera (holding it the right way is not necessary).

Strange Connections

2008-04-24T13:11:00.000-07:00

My grandfather died earlier this year. And now his wife, who the kids call Gi-Gi, was given 6 weeks to live about 8 weeks ago. She is still going strong, so much so, that Carlie made the comment today that it is a good thing Gi-Gi is so healthy, and that she just might live forever.

This concerned me, because she has a hard time with death, and I did not want the inevitable to sneak up on her. So, I decided to just mention that Gi-Gi is sick and that we need to really enjoy our time with her.

So Carlie responded with "is it the perfume that makes them die?"

What perfume?

The perfume that I put on that day, right before Gi-Pa died.

No, honey, nothing you do can make them die.

Really? Really?!! So I didn't make Gi-Pa die?

No! Absolutely not. It was just time for him to go. His body was worn out.

Oh, Good! (Big smile on her face)

And in my head, I am thinking... All this time, my poor baby has thought that she killed her great grandfather because she snuck into the bathroom and put perfume on. I can't even remember where that incident fell into the timeline of his death. But uggghhhhh!

I have heard so many times that kids internalize things like divorce and always think it is their fault. Never would I have imagined that she would think his death was her fault, there was just no reason for her to think that.

But it is a good lesson for me. That she tied something I considered so minor to such a big life event, because that is really all she has to draw on. And it shows how important it is for us to talk all of this out, so she has no questions and feels she can ask me anything.

Potty talk continued

2008-04-18T12:19:00.000-07:00

Mylie continues to use the potty about once a day, and I have taken to doing extra laundry because the laundry room is adjacent to the potty. So while she is sitting there for HOURS, I might as well be making myself useful.

So far, it is all fun and games to her, she is not serious about this at all. If she is wearing her pullup and playing outside the bathroom, she just yells over to me "I pee pee!!!!" and keeps doing what she is doing. She doesn't care how full her diaper is, she just thinks sitting on the potty is fun.

And she also thinks making mommy sit on the potty (pulling down my pants required) is fun. This I am putting an end to immediately, because I cannot be forced to sit on the toilet for hours, even by a cute pint sized munchkin who is very focused on keeping me there.

And a note on Carlie. Carlie has been wearing dresses pretty much every single day for about 3 years. Since around 2 1/2, she has considered pants or shorts "boylish" and skirts are only acceptable if they are very pink. So naturally, I gave up my efforts of buying her shirts and pants some time ago. And really the only non-dress clothes in her drawers were given to her as gifts.

And then her preschool teacher informed me that at 5, she should be wearing shorts under her dresses. I left almost in tears, not because I didn't agree. But because this was going to turn my mornings into a nightmare. I knew there was a battle ahead.

I vaguely remembered reading about "monkey bar" shorts somewhere, so when at some fancy kids boutique the other day, I asked. They produced cute little spandex pink shorts that are perfect for under dresses. Carlie was completely indifferent to them, so I thought we would be fine.

And then came the next day when I actually made her put them on. I am quite sure my neighbors think I am torturing the kid. Seriously, the battle has continued now for 6 days. So much that this morning Carlie took off the dress she was wearing and dug out her one and only pair of jeans. "Fine mom," she called from upstairs, "guess I am going to need some new clothes. I am NOT wearing those dumb boylish shorts anymore!"

Well ok then.

Pee-Pee in the potty!

2008-04-14T17:24:00.000-07:00

The potty song is in full swing at our house again. Just when I was ready to ditch the pullups (the poor absorbing capabilities are requiring me to be a good mom and change her more than once a day), Carlie stepped in.

I haven't actually done a single thing to potty train Mylie other than put her in pullups. Not once have I even set her on the potty since my last post. And she had seemingly lost interest the last few days, so I figured the window of opportunity was gone.

Then today, Carlie (yes, CARLIE) decided to pee in the little potty herself. I was irritated that the recently disinfected potty was now used, so I sent her to timeout. As soon as I did it, I realized I had probably way over-reacted in Carlie's eyes, and sent an irreversible message to Mylie. Go potty and get in trouble. Mom of the year, right here.

But what I didn't count on was that:

1. Mylie thinks timeout is the best thing ever, and

2. Mylie wants to do everything Carlie does.

Within minutes, Mylie was sitting on the potty yelling "mama! pee pee!"

I waited a while and offered several times to put her pullup back on, but she would just shake her head and say "I go pee pee!" Seeing as how she has yet to pee in the potty, I was getting frustrated. So I almost made her get up. But then I looked down and what do you know? A full potty!

Carlie went crazy and we sang the potty song no fewer than 50 times. After that, the proud big sister insisted that we call someone to share the news. So we called Papa, and when asked what she wanted to tell Papa, Mylie said softly into the phone "hi. pee pee."

Does this mean we are taking up potty training? Ummm, not if I have any say at all (which I have learned is unlikely). Not when less than an hour later, she dragged me into the bathroom to go "pee pee," pulled down her diaper and dragged poop all the way down her legs and onto the floor.

But I am super proud of her. And it was so cute to see Carlie get excited for her. Especially since anytime we get excited that Mylie said a new word, Carlie gets all upset and says "how come you don't get excited when I say 'light'?"

5 year old logic

2008-04-11T13:36:00.001-07:00

So Carlie has been complaining about her knee incessantly for the past 24 hours.

She has no idea how she hurt it, it shows no sign of bruising and she can miraculously play at school fine until she sees me and remembers she is crippled.

I inspected it, kissed it, and told her that maybe it was growing pains. But that didn't stop the complaining, and constant requests to see the doctor (only, by the way, if they promise not to cut her open and they will give her a sticker when it is over).

Call me cheap, but there is no way I am paying our $70 doctor visit copay to find out that they are not going to do anything for a pain that has been around only 24 hours.

So I thought I would pull out the big guns and told her how unfortunate it is that we can't go jump in the trampoline today (her favorite activity in the world). Mid moan, she hopped up and started jumping around: "look mom! I can jump fine!!!"

"Wow! how did you get better so fast?"

Long pause. "I am not really better, I can just jump fine. Haven't you ever had that happen to you???"

"Actually yes. Like when I can't hear the whining anymore, but my ears work fine when you talk to me with your normal voice?"

"um, ok, so can I jump in the trampoline?"

Daaadddddyyyyy!

2008-04-09T09:06:00.000-07:00

One of Carlie's least effective responses to being told no is to yell "daaaaddddyyyyy!" even though she is well aware that daddy is at work. She seemed to know early on that this would irritate me, though I have gone out of my way to show absolutely no emotion and to never give in when she does this.

So today when Mylie asked for "Ju" and I said "how about water?," she ran out of the room with her arms in the air crying, "DA DA! DA DA!"

I have a feeling this falls into the category of cute the first couple times and then irritating from there on out. Right up there with her leading me where she wants to go, no fewer than 10 times while I tried to type this post.

Time Out for Mylie

2008-04-08T11:35:00.001-07:00

So I haven't used timeout for Mylie yet, though I can see signs she might be ready soon.

But today, when she reached for the cable cord for the millionth time, I asked her if she wanted to go to timeout. As soon as I said it, I realized that that was a silly threat, since she probably had no idea what I was talking about it.

She shook her head no and kept at it. But when I went and manually removed it from her fingers, she immediately ran out of the room. I followed her and found her sitting on the stairs where Carlie suffers through most of her punishments.

What was cutest about this exchange was that as soon as she saw me, she gave me a huge cheesy smile and then said "ca-ca" (Carlie) and started a quite impressive fake cry.

Hmmm... wonder who she thinks is a big faker?

Is it crazy to potty train a 19 month old??

2008-04-07T11:37:00.000-07:00

Carlie potty trained at 2 years super easy. By 2 years 3 months, accidents were a distant memory and I barely remember any issues at all.

Now for Mylie. For the past few months she has been telling me when she goes "poo poo" and asking for a diaper change. Then in the past few weeks, she started announcing "poo poo" and leading us to the bathroom. It has gotten so bad that if we won't go with her on these frequent potty trips, she will grab anyone who will go with her and drag them into the bathroom. And now as of this week, she has started telling us when she goes "pee pee" in her diaper.

Everyone is urging me to start potty training, but I have seen some of my friends struggle with kids who seemed "ready" and a year later, they are still training. So I am really in no hurry whatsoever.

Especially since with all this interest, she has yet to actually use the potty a single time. No, instead she has me put her on it and then immediately goes on the floor when I set her down.

So yesterday, we took the minor step and decided to put her in pullups. Which will at least save my sanity with all the potty trips. And my neighbor has a potty chair all ready for her.

And then I remind myself, do I really want to have to stop at Target for a potty break? That would be a big, fat NO.

Daddy The Champion!

2008-03-30T22:07:00.001-07:00

We got to go to Bill's race this weekend in Brisbane. He got us there by bribing us with a trip to the beach, and pretty much anything else we wanted to do once it was over.
After an unexpected late night last night, I wasn't sure we would make it, but I am so glad we did!
He did awesome and the girls loved watching him "win."
Especially since at one point, he broke ahead of the group and was the first out of 100 people in his race. In the end, he got 5th and the girls and I were so proud.
He is the second guy in "The Finish" picture.It was great to see him so happy and excited :)

I guess I can give up worrying about being the "nice" mom

2008-03-27T14:30:00.000-07:00

Carlie has two friends over this afternoon. Jack who spends many afternoons here any way, and another neighbor, Lauren. The kids requested popcorn and chocolate milk, so when I got it all prepared and brought it over, I started handing it to them on the couch.

I rarely let them eat on the couch, but looking at them sitting there as 5 and 6 year olds, they seemed old enough to handle it. And really, way too comfy to move them to the floor. When they realized they would be eating on the couch, they all looked excited.

But once they all had their popcorn in their laps and the milk in their hands, they looked confused and worried.

Maybe you guys should move to the floor?

"OK!!!" They shouted in unison. Hmmm.... what is it they say about kids wanting more limitations?

For the record: verbal milestones cause major sleep disruption

2008-03-26T20:18:00.000-07:00

In an entry from about 6 months ago, I mentioned my concern that Mylie might have some sort of learning limitation that prevents her from correctly identifying animals. Nobody believed me, but it seems my concern was SPOT ON.

In the last couple days she has learned to say entire sentences (which explains why she has been having such a hard time with sleep for the past week or so), but still cannot correctly identify the sound a dog makes or accurately differentiate between a dog and cat in a book. Not even in the book that she has seen every single night for the past year. What is up with this???

I expect more at this point, when phrases like "mommy, it's a choo choo!" and "ack (Jack) and CaCa (Carlie) at coooool (School)" are spilling out of her little mouth.

And today we even had a real conversation in the car:

Mylie: eat! eat! eat! Mommy, eat!

Me: I know you want to eat lunch, do you want cheese when we get home?

Mylie: yeah, yeah, yeah!

Me: I will make you lunch as soon as we get home, ok?

Mylie: Ok

Me: I love you, my-ty

Mylie: (kiss noises), momma.

She has also learned to take us by the hand and lead us wherever her little heart desires. Which is usually either to "eat! eat! eat!" or to "walk! walk! walk!" And occasionally it is "walk car ride mommy daddy ca ca" (ride in my little car while mommy, daddy and Carlie walk).

Ok, so I am pretty sure she won't be quizzed on animals in college. Maybe she can live without the basic animal knowledge. It just seems strange coming from a kid who actually LOVES animals. Now from Carlie, I wouldn't have been surprised. She barely even notices when animals are around. Especially the ones who live in our house.

Anyway, this is the official, my baby is talking post.

And Carlie wanted to say something too: "Please tell 'them' that Carlie and Mylie are so happy that we are sisters."

It just doesn't get any cuter than that :)

Is this a step up from just wanting to marry rich?

2008-03-22T20:01:00.001-07:00

What do you want to be when you grow up, Carlie?

I just want to be a lay down person

Really? Why a 'lay down' person? (unsuccessfully holding back laughter)

MOM! Don't laugh, I just like to relax, ok?

18 months!

2008-03-20T10:04:00.000-07:00

Mylie had her 18 month appt today. It was just as boring as I knew it would be, with the exception of the screaming that went on. Mylie really has very little stranger anxiety, if any. So when we walked into the room with the nurse and she immediately started screaming this over- the-top petrified scream, I was completely shocked.

I am not sure why I was shocked, because if there is one thing I have learned by now, it is that just when you think you know your kid, you find out, you don't.

Anyway, she screamed through the entire weighing and measuring. So I am going to take the 89% in height (go Mylie!) and 64% in weight with a grain of salt. As soon as the nurse walked out, Mylie demanded that I put her shoes back on and then held onto her clothes like they were some precious blanket that she was attached to.

She was calm by the time the doctor came in, but as soon as they made eye contact, it started all over again. And the experience wouldn't have been complete without me adding a little extra torture by asking the doctor about the funny way she walks. Which prompted the doctor to take her about 30 feet away from me, and then make her run for her little life to the safety of my arms. Oh good times. She was out like a light the minute her head hit the car seat.

But she got a perfect score in development. And my little midget seems pretty content to hang out in the 80%+ for height. Which means she won't be crazy tall like her mom and sister, but won't be tiny either.

On to other news, my friend Julie, who I know many have been wondering about, had her baby a week and a half ago now. Charlotte was 6lbs, 6oz and 20.5 inches long but 5.5 weeks early. So she is still working through some issues in the hospital, and won't go home until at least next Wed. She is doing great though and is very healthy.

Overheard on today's ride home from school

2008-03-17T13:14:00.000-07:00

Jack, did you know that I am older then you (5 months), so when you are a great-grandpa, you will live longer than me?

Yeah

And that I am going to be a great grandma and you a great grandpa and we will have kids and grandkids.

Uh huh

And we are going to get really old and look old like our great grandmas and grandpas

Ummm, Carlie, I am going to be a dad, not a grandpa, but not for a long time. I am not going to get bigger.

Oh, Jaaaccckkkk! (insert roll eye)

If I wasn't so exausted from all the fun, I would play the lottery

2008-03-16T20:32:00.000-07:00

So 5 years old is shaping up to be the year of games. Carlie wants to be engaged in some sort of competition all the time. She is constantly asking me to play Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders or Zingo. Though 90% of the time, it is Candy Land (the Dora version, of course).

She has turned into a relatively good sport, with only occasional comments like "I wish you would just fall down that chute mom."

But still, I find myself cautious when I am in a clear lead. Nervous that her sunny mood might suddenly switch to the mysterious depths of despair that our little princess finds it so easy to slip into.

So tonight, when our 6th game of Zingo (toddler Bingo) turned into a tight race. I started to wonder how this was all going to turn out.

I am often reminded that Carlin means 'Little Champion', and though she doesn't even know this yet, she seems determined to live up to her given name. She is fiercely competitive in situations like this and she will fight for a finish.

So back to Zingo. We each had one square left to fill and it just so happened that both of our squares were the "stinky foot" variety. In Zingo, two shapes are presented each go around and as we cycled through we were both ready to grab the stinky foot when it presented itself. This went on for awhile, until it was clear that Carlie was literally ready to collapse from all the pressure.

So what happened? The final round presented two stinky feet at the same time. We both grabbed for a foot, realized what happened, and high fived each other. "Tie!!!" we shouted. Carlie elated to not have lost and me to not have won. Whew. That was actually FUN!

Naomi, this one is for you...

2008-03-15T13:54:00.000-07:00

When I read your post, I thought of this song, You're going to miss this (by Trace Adkins). Even though I know you are in Texas and therefore have definitely heard this song!

She was staring out the window of that SUV, Complaining, saying “I can’t wait to turn 18″

She said “I’ll make my own money, and I’ll make my own rules”

Mamma put the car in park out there in front of the school

Then she kissed her head and said “I was just like you”

You’re gonna miss this

You’re gonna want this back

You’re gonna wish these days hadn’t gone by so fast

These are some good times

So take a good look around

You may not know it now

But you’re gonna miss this

Before she knows it she’s a brand new bride

In a one-bedroom apartment, and her daddy stops by

He tells her “It’s a nice place” She says “It’ll do for now”

Starts talking about babies and buying a house

Daddy shakes his head and says “Baby, just slow down”

Cause you’re gonna miss this

You’re gonna want this back

You’re gonna wish these days hadn’t gone by so fast

These are some good times

So take a good look around

You may not know it now

But you’re gonna miss this

Five years later there’s a plumber workin’ on the water heater

Dog’s barkin’, phone’s ringin’

One kid’s cryin’, one kid’s screamin’

She keeps apologizin’

He says “They don’t bother me.

I’ve got 2 babies of my own.One’s 36, one’s 23.Huh, it’s hard to believe, but …

You’re gonna miss this

You’re gonna want this back

You’re gonna wish these days hadn’t gone by so fast

These are some good times

So take a good look around

You may not know it now

But you’re gonna miss this”

The baby in the mirror

2008-03-04T12:48:00.000-08:00

Mylie did the cutest thing today that I have to share.

She was throwing a little fit while I worked on the computer in our room. All the sudden she got quiet so I looked up. She was standing next to me and staring at us in the mirror. When I would wave at her in the mirror, she would look at me totally confused and then back at the mirror.

This went on for a while, and then she started standing on her toes and pointing at herself in the mirror. She finally warmed up to her image and ran up to herself and put both hands on the mirror and looked all the way to the left and then to the right and back again several times. She was now giggling, and finally stepped back and pointed at herself smiling.

Like she was saying, I get it now! That is ME!!

She has been checking herself out in the mirror for a long time now, but she always called the image "baby." This was the first time she noticed that the baby does everything she does.

I wonder if she really gets it now??

Disneyland Pics

2008-03-02T21:16:00.001-08:00

Marriage Talk

2008-03-02T20:17:00.000-08:00

At least right now, we need not worry about confidence with Carlie.

When returning from Disneyland, she asked us repeatedly if we thought the neighbors were going to have a huge party for us because they missed us so much.

And then today she told me that she is pretty sure that Jack and Liam (neighbors) both love her and will someday fight over who is going to marry her

You think so? I asked. What will you do?

Just walk away! (Which is what we tell her to do when someone is bothering her)

You don't want to marry either one of them?

Shaking her head, no, she ran off to play. Later I asked her who she would like to marry. Oh, I don't need to get married. I have daddy.

Disneyland!

2008-02-29T17:25:00.000-08:00

We are back from our longest vacation since Bill and I went on our honeymoon. Sad, I know!

4 days in Disneyland. We thought that it would be too long, since we usually go for 1 full and 2 half days, but it was just the right amount of time. For one thing, it was much more crowded than when we go in January, so that slowed us down. But luckily, it was nice enough to enjoy some swimming, so we had time to do a little of everything.

The girls did great. Carlie can go on pretty much everything now, so she had a blast trying out some of the grown up rides. And Mylie, who believe it or not, can go on most rides herself, did great until we took her on the Pirates of the Caribbean with the big drop. After that, the word "ride" would elicit the response "riiiiiiidddddeeeee" with a violent head shaking. But she braved many more rides (not like she had a choice) and even developed her first nervous habit of absent-mindedly pinching mommy and daddy over and over again when she isn't sure what is going to happen. Poor baby.

Since Small World is closed currently, Carlie's new favorite ride is Alice in Wonderland. And Mylie's favorite was definitely Pooh. Though, she went crazy over the parade. Bill and I couldn't believe how into it she was.

At the end of the trip, Carlie made the comment: "I know why people love Disneyland, it is because this is the place where all your dreams come true."

I will post pictures this weekend, I am having trouble with my link.

Remote Discipline

2008-02-21T09:42:00.000-08:00

Carlie has a habit of collecting things in bags and storing them all over the house. Any backpack, gift bag or discarded Target bag is carefully packed full of toys, before it becomes part of a party she is having or some other event in her little imagination.

I tend to let it go for a couple weeks and then when we inevitably have to pull the house back together, she and I argue for hours over putting it all away. So last night, she inexplicably "cleaned up" without much complaining and when I went to check, her room looked great.

I was so proud of her and she beamed when I told her so. No sign from her that maybe things weren't quite what she had led on. Then this morning, I looked in her closet and found a couple bags still overflowing, so I calmly asked her to put them away.

Tears followed, but she eventually got it all put away and left to go the neighbor's house for carpool to school. About 30 seconds after she walked out the door, I opened the downstairs closet and found 4 more packed bags. She hadn't cleaned up ANYTHING last night; she had just moved everything to closets!!! UGGGGHHH.

I was so mad that I called her at the neighbor's house to tell her that she had been caught. "oh" she responded with a lift to her voice that I could only interpret as - 'what do I care? You can't get me here.'

"What should your punishment be Carlie?"

"Oh, I don't know" she said carelessly "maybe you could call the police?"

One to remember

2008-02-19T09:34:00.000-08:00

In talking with Carlie about Julie's upcoming baby shower:

Mommy, why do they call baby showers, 'showers'? Is it because Julie is going to be naked in front of everyone?

How sweet is this??

2008-02-15T13:03:00.001-08:00

Check out this post when you get a chance. I can't wait to make a difference in little Idalia's life!!

http://rocksinmydryer.typepad.com/shannon/2008/02/our-boy.html

Further proof that I might have control issues...

2008-02-14T14:59:00.001-08:00

I am responsible for creating 48 Easter Bags for the neighborhood Egg Hunt in mid-March.

Now, some might find it a tad bit obsessive that (a full month in advance), I have already assembled all 48 bags, complete with tiny ribbons and perfectly designed inner bags to keep the items together.

And now that I think about it, it might not be normal to have every single one of them done just 19 hours after the boxes arrived on the doorstep, when you have 5 weeks to work on them.

But that isn't what caught this bossy/control freak's attention. No, it was Carlie's comment to me while she helped me with the bags. "You know Mommy, everything doesn't have to be just PERFECT. It is ok if a boy gets a purple toy or if a bow is crooked."

Whose daughter is SHE?????

Happy Valentine's Day!

2008-02-14T12:04:00.000-08:00

What a big day. My little brother, Mike, turns 28 today. Apparently he has the flu, so no big celebration for him. Bill and I exchanged gifts early, because I was going out with friends and he happened to have gotten me the perfect accessory to go with my outfit. So, not much going on with us today.

And I haven't really done anything for the girls in past years, but Carlie informed me this year that if I didn't give her a Valentine then that meant I didn't love her. And although I know she is perfectly capable of this type of manipulation, just in case she truely believes this, I thought I better get her something.

So I got Mylie a big pink rubber duckie and Carlie got some tinkerbell glitter with a giant puff. I could not believe how much they loved their gifts. All morning Mylie giggled away at her duck and Carlie slathered glitter all over her body. And then I realized, it was because that was ALL there was. Unlike their birthdays or Christmas or even Easter. This was it. So they enjoyed it so much more. There was no running from event to event, or opening way too many gifts to appreciate. They just got to enjoy it.

And Bill came through for the girls too, with adorable cards. Carlie's sings "I want candy" which pretty much sums her up, and he wrote a nice little note to her that she can treasure forever. And in Mylie's he wrote all his favorite things about her; including, her famous cheesy smile, the way she says "meow", her obsession with her stroller and he summed it up with the way she makes him feel. I don't think the girls will appreciate how lucky they are for a very long time, but I do!

And a cute note about Mylie. Just now, she went to the closet and asked to get down Carlie's little play computer. She then ran over and asked me to put it on the couch. So right now, as I type, she has her computer in her lap and is sitting beside me. She keeps looking over at me with her giant smile. My own little mini-me, and kids that are in a good mood. This may be the best Valentine's Day ever.

In case I was wondering

2008-02-13T14:49:00.001-08:00

why Carlie is SOOOO bossy. It is because I am. I was always bossy as a kid, but didn't realize that I never grew out of it until recently. Of course I boss my kids around, but really, that is my job (and probably why I love being a mom so much!).

The problem arises when I also boss other peoples' kids around. I just cannot help myself. When I hand the kids a plate of snacks and the kid says "EWWWWW -I don't want this!!!" and then throws it on the floor. Something inside me just snaps. I mean really, I would NEVER act like that when I was a kid.

So I find that I am continually correcting my friends' kids' bad manners, and then am shocked when Carlie does the same thing. The worst part of this, is that if I do not correct the other kids, Carlie gets upset with my double standards.

But Carlie must learn that life is not always fair. And I can explain to her that it is not my place to correct them, just like it is not hers. So it is my late New Years resolution to only correct my own kids unless the other kid is destroying my property or indangering my kids lives.

This is going to be interesting.

Teaching Compassion

2008-02-11T19:27:00.000-08:00

Because I LOVE to read other peoples' blogs, I have found a few favorites that I check often. One of my favorites is http://rocksinmydryer.typepad.com/ which is done by a housewife who has grown her blog to receive an average of 300 comments a day. She is currently on her way to Africa, on a trip supported by Compassion, which will allow her to blog about her experiences there. One benefit of this trip is that she will get to meet a kid that she and her family have been supporting through Compassion.com. She has written a lot about how this has been a fun project for her kids.

I have been wanting to do something like this, if for no other reason, to get my 5 year old to realize that she doesn't have it anywhere near as hard as she seems to think she does. And knowing now that Compassion is a legitimate gig, I figured it would be a good place to start. I also love that you can send your kid personal gifts and letters through this program and that they will respond.

So today, I clicked on the link to look at the thousands of kids needing sponsors and immediately was drawn to a picture of a pretty little girl that Compassion says is 5 years old. Hmmm, I thought, that would be perfect. Carlie could really relate to her. So I clicked on it, and besides the fact that they have very similar interests, I learned that this little girl and Carlie share the exact same birthday! What are the chances??

Obviously, this was meant to be. So now, we are the proud sponsors of Idalia. When I told Carlie, her first response was, "but if we give her money, there will be no money for me!"

As you can tell, we clearly need this exercise! But by the end of the night, she was telling her friends all about it. I think it is going to be great for us.

Meet our new friend:

Is that a No?

2008-02-09T19:15:00.000-08:00

Mylie learned the word "no" today. It just suddenly clicked with her, and in a major way. As we made our way through the day, no matter what we asked her, the response was always "no."

When the In-n-Out guy asked me if I wanted to eat in my car, she called from the back seat "no no no no!!!" When I asked Carlie if she wanted some water, the response came in the form of a little baby voice, "NO!", and pretty much all the way back from shopping today, she just said "no" to practice.

Along with this, I am noticing that my baby is turning into a full fledged big girl. She looks longer and more grown up. Her hair is getting so long that I can do pig tails, and she is starting to really play with Carlie and her friends.

Just now, as I got her ready for bed, I asked her if she was ready for night-night. Generally when asked this, she rubs her eyes and lays her head on my shoulder. Tonight, I got a firm head shake and a loud very pronounced "NO."

Hmmmm... having been through this before, I know what comes next...

My modern girl

2008-01-31T14:48:00.000-08:00

Carlie: When I grow up I went to be one of those (points at an archeologist on tv). I want to dig for buried treasures and take them to museums! Right Mommy?

Me: Sure! You have to get dirty to do that. Is that ok?

Carlie: Well, maybe I will have my husband do it for me.

And our little munchkin (the pirate)

2008-01-31T13:38:00.001-08:00