Someday We'll Laugh About This...

Argh! Today the kids have been productive...but naughty. Sometimes those two overlap in interesting ways.

Auntie Julia so generously gave her time yesterday cleaning up the kids' rooms. This is great motivation to me to stick to my cleaning too. Thanks, Julia!

This morning, Vincent, Erin and I spent time ensuring that their rooms stayed clean. This involved picking up all the books that inevitably come out at bedtime and as little ones "fall asleep", putting additional outfit options away, and general decluttering. As a reward for keeping their rooms clean, we talked about how their rooms could be painted or decorated with some themed items I had bought at Target on clearance.

I left the kids in Vincent's room playing nicely when Mary needed to be fed. Eventually, I realized the playful babble had become deafening silence. Although silence is rare and enjoyable at the moment, it usually means they are up to no good! And indeed they were. From the top of the stairs I could see two little arms reaching up and tearing wallpaper off the wall! This was completely logical to their little minds because we had just talked about redecorating their rooms. It was a project we have thought about pursuing, but not in that fashion!

After we all cleaned up that mess, I put Mary back to sleep. The three of us went downstairs to start some arts and crafts. I thought this would be a good time to give Erin's bangs a trim. I got out the necessary equipment and had already wet her hair. Then, Mary started to cry, so I thoughtlessly went to her, leaving the equipment up on the counter, out of eyesight. I trusted the other two to continue with their crafts, but they had some new crafts in mind. When I came downstairs with Mary, there were several locks of Erin's hair on the floor. The odd thing was that two spots were cut in different ways - and Vincent had not tattled on Erin as soon as she did something. My suspicions were confirmed when Erin pointed to her partner in crime saying "he did it too!" So much for saving money by doing it myself - we will be off to get a short hair cut in the coming days.

I did end up saving a lock of Erin's golden brown hair. Despite my frustration at the time, I still treasure this time with them - how curious and active they are, and how unique is everything about them from the tip of their toes to hairs on their heads (although slightly less right now). But these two incidents required a time out. I marched them up to their bedrooms and set them down to think about both the wallpaper removing and the hair cutting incidents. They actually did not resist this - phew!

The stories continue - true to our blog title again! As I sorted through mail and clutter in the family room, the kids started playing with some empty boxes I had set up to use for decluttering. It was the classic picture of kids with empty boxes - climbing all the way inside, imagining them as various vehicles or interesting places. Very cute scenes will remain in my mind and memories. As Erin observed me using some small boxes, she also started "cleaning" or rather dumping everything she touched into a big box. A big tin of cookies Mark was to take to the office had been forgotten in the entry way. Erin stopped long enough to ask (leaning her lesson from the morning's events?) if she could put this in the box. Although I said "no, please don't touch those" she proceeded to lift the tin into the box. Literally every cookie slid out of the tin and into the box. I'm sure that wasn't her intention, but those tins are not toddler proof! Another exciting mess to clean up. We are on a roll today! The kids are doing the bulk of the cleaning, however, so that is some progress there!

Another vignette from the day brings us up to the present moment. Both the kids are up in bed for a nap. Little Erin, so independent ("I'll do it myself!") and particular (she knows what she wants), finds the decals, again for decorating her room. By the time I discover she is still awake, she has opened them and started sticking them to each other. It is a fixable predicament, and not a big mess, but what else can my kids get into today???!?

I am sad because I cannot trust them to be in sight or touch of anything anymore. But then again, I don't know why I ever thought it wouldn't be a problem, sooner or later. Perhaps it is misplaced trust, laziness on my part, or just too many balls in the air right now with a newborn added into the mix. We'll get through it, and they will grow (I hope more responsible), and I will trust them again (for better and worse, I'm sure). And someday I'll laugh about this...but not today!

Making music

Today we were even more true to our blog title. Erin woke up an hour earlier than usual, which throws me off because then I'm not dressed and ready when she starts the day. I think I'm also not used to juggling three (when does that third arm grow in?), and especially when I'm tired I feel more behind than usual.

Vincent and Erin get better at amusing themselves. Sometimes this involves huge messes, but it can also mean several minutes of peace for Mom (I appreciate it!). This morning, Erin stumbled upon the guitar hero controllers, and Vincent soon followed suit. They intuitively put the straps over their heads and delighted in playing the guitars and singing. Twinkle twinkle little star off key and out of sync ensued for several minutes.

Erin loves to climb. Today she pulled a chair up next to the vacuum cleaner and proceeded to dance. When I told her that the chair wasn't a good place to dance (not too stable), she held on to the vacuum while dancing, as if it was more secure. Then she stopped, began to lift her legs as if she would climb the vacuum cleaner. She tilted her head to the side and gave me the most impish smile! How do kids know to do that? Are these universally understood or is that something that is modeled for her?

Erin also decided that she would "wuhrt" today. She found a hammer and has been banging it on all different tables and chairs. When the kids started up the stairs for nap time, Erin says "okay, I'm going to wuhrt on my bed". Once up stairs, Vincent thought this was a good idea too. But, he convinced her that a hanger would make a better hammer and took the play hammer off her hands. After I put the baby down, I find them both banging away on Erin's toddler bed. Vincent also taught her how to use the longer side of the head of the hammer as a paint roller. He later explained to me in great detail how each piece of the pants hanger he was using had a task - some parts painted, some parts pulled off the old paint, some parts collected paint chips.

And even though Vincent went to bed with the hanger and Erin with the hammer, somehow the hammer ended up in Vincent's bed at the end of nap time. Wiley kids...

Overheard in Tomooka Town

Vincent: There's a back hoe loader!
Mommy: That's right, you sure know a lot of different trucks.
Vincent: I know everything.
Mommy: You do? What about 4x4?
Vincent: Oh...well, everything about trucks.
Mommy: Really? What's a hummer?
Vincent: Not singing, Mommy, trucks!
- in the van, going down Mountain Ave

After a few minutes of successfully playing guess a number 1-10:
Vincent: 3
Erin: 48
Mommy: That's too big, try a number 1-10
Erin: purple!
- in the van, going up Euclid

Much of the time it's not what the kids say, but how they say it:
boo-ut = book
pajaminas = pajamas
cin-cint = Vincent
Mary Chair = Mary Clare
wuhrt = work
furfur = Christopher (friend at E's school)
glolondola = gondola

...And their cute, little voices. I need to get those on audio/video more frequently before they are gone forever!

Speaking of how quickly time passes, here's one of my favorite stories from Vincent (about 2 years):
V: Will we see any trash trucks today?
M: I don't know, keep your eyes peeled!
V: Eyes don't peel! (said with genuine joy as he laughed at his mom!)

Overheard in Tomooka Town

Ever heard of the site Overheard in NY? I can't promise to meet the hilarity encountered by thousands of people in New York City, but I will be showcasing the best of Tomooka Town in "Overheard" posts.

Erin was on a roll this week...

Mommy: Erin, do you want mac and cheese for dinner or McDonald's?
Erin: Mac and cheese at McDonald's!
The girl knows what she wants.
- in the van

Vincent: I'm the big brother.
Erin: And I'm the girl brother.
- in the van

All on her own...

Mary had two adventures this week!

My parents watched all three kiddos on Saturday so that we could go to the 12th annual Bishop's dinner. It was the soonest I've ever left a newborn at home, but I knew the kids were in experienced grandparenting hands. We had forgotten to practice with a bottle the day before, but my parents reported that Mary resisted at first (as expected), but quickly adapted to the new form for her supper (unexpected - what a relief!). We enjoyed a very nice night with some interesting couples from our church and for a good cause.

Today, my sister watched Mary while V & E were at school so that I could go to my first job interview as an RN. I received a text message from my sister after I finished my interview that simply said "poop. third outfit. having fun." Thanks, Auntie Julia!

Daily Notes

Yesterday we had fun playing "go fish" and memory with the go fish cards. Erin decided she would count her three cards. All of a sudden, she's up at "20, 21, 22...25, 26...30". Eventually she became a broken record counting "20, 30, 20, 30". Great to hear her count so high! I was glad she had a blast counting three cards over and over and over. At school they are also practicing writing her name and numbers. Go, Erin, go!

This isn't recent, but a story Mark and I were talking about last night. When asked "where did you learn that?" Vincent most often says "I made it up." Often we say "are you sure? who taught you that?" Finally, one time when asked where he learned something he had shared with us, he replied "I learned it up!"

Mary's been sweet and content, rarely crying. Most often, she cries to tell me to put her back to sleep! I can't remember if the other kids slept this much, but it seems like she really needs her sleep and knows it too. Fine by me for now!

Summer in the Spring

Yesterday was my mom's birthday (love you, Mommy!). It was almost 90 degrees here, only ten days after the first day of spring (and Mary's birthday). We got out the slip and slide for some pre-summer fun.



Here's video of the kids last summer on the same slip and slide. Fun to compare the two - the kids both fit into those same swim suits because mommy is the queen of buying clothes too big for just that purpose!



My parents introduced Vincent to badminton sometime back. He can actually return the birdie once in a while. About half way through the video, you can hear him tell me "that's a little too in the plants."



Mary hung out with us outside (in the shade of course). She slept the whole time, which leads me to believe that she enjoys being outside and that the sounds of her active siblings are calming to her. Erin had fun singing to Mary. I think the main words are "I love you so much." It's a relief and a delight to hear that Erin is embracing the changes in our little family.



Casual poll: If pictures are worth 1000 words, how much are videos worth?