My little fish

We spent the night at a hotel in Chicago over the weekend and really enjoyed the opportunity to burn some energy in the pool. Both kids loved jumping into the pool and swimming races back and forth across the pool. At one point Reese was standing on the bottom step of the pool in the shallower end of the pool (4ft, which went right up to the bottom of her chin) and she asked me to watch her do a trick. She started making funny faces trying to close her eyes and preparing to jump. Finally, she jumped off of the step and into the pool with her eyes half open. A little bit of water had splashed onto her face, but otherwise she was just standing in the pool. She opened her eyes and exclaimed, "Did you see that mommy?! I went under the water! Wasn't that amazing?" I replied that the trick was indeed amazing, while cracking up on the inside! She did try the trick again a few times afterward and did actually go underwater, but the first time was by far the most memorable!

Citrus Family

Tonight I peeled a grapefruit for the kids to eat before bed. While I was peeling it, the kids were commenting on how big the grapefruit was, especially compared to their favorite, the "cutie" clementines. Reese said it best:

"That grapefruit could be the mommy or daddy of the cutie!"

4 going on 15!

We celebrated Christmas with my family this past weekend. I'm not sure if it was the time spent with all of her girl cousins or the makeup kit that my mom gave her, but my little tomboy has become quite the girly girl! She begged to open the makeup kit the entire ride home from the party, an entire 90 minutes! As soon as we got home, we opened the kit and she ran to the bathroom to make herself pretty. About 10 minutes later she emerged with pink eyeshadow smeared across her eyes and eyebrows and glitter lipstick smeared all around her mouth.

She asked me if she looked pretty, to which I responded that she was pretty even without the makeup. She disappeared back into the bathroom for another hour, coming out only to ask me to paint her finger and toenails.
Just this morning, the girl who would never let me brush her hair, brought me several hair pretties and a brush and asked me to do her hair. I asked how she wanted it and she showed me where everything should go. She did not make a peep as I brushed her hair, parted it and put it up in two side ponytails. This was the end result.

So adorable, but she seriously needs to stop growing!

Aidanisms

One of Aidan's favorite expressions is, "Are you serious me kid?!" It is a mix of "Are you kidding me?" and "Seriously?", two of my favorite expressions when I am exasperated with something that the kids have done. Not only is it funny how he says it, but also the situations in which he uses it.

I purchased a train calendar and hung it in Aidan's room. Recently, he has been carrying his "calister" around and writing in it. When he goes to bed at night, he always asks where his "calister" is before getting tucked into bed.

Aidan's has been having trouble sleeping some nights. He wakes up 1-2 nights a week because of something scary that he has seen or heard during the night. One night it was really windy and a branch was rubbing against his window. I let him and Reese sleep downstairs on the pullout sofa that night because the wind was not going to let up and the noise would have continued to keep him up. Another night he saw "scaries" in his room. I laid in bed with him until he calmed down and before leaving, I picked all of the scaries up and kicked them out of the house. Finally, last night, he got upset because of a noise. I believe that he heard noises from Randy and I moving around downstairs, but never really determined what it was. The incidences are all so different, that I'm not sure what to do to help him feel safe. Hopefully, it is just a phase and he will grow out of it soon.

"I have a big butt!"

Tonight Reese was running around with one of our bed pillows pretending that it was a raft. When I asked her to put the pillow back into my bedroom and to grab one of the pillows from the living room she exclaimed, "I need that pillow, I have a big butt!" while holding her hands out to show how large her butt is. I immediately burst out laughing while she continued to exclaim, "I don't have a teeny tiny butt, I have a big butt!" All the while demonstrating with her hands the difference between a teeny tiny butt and a big butt.

'Not the Best Mommy"

The kids have recently picked up a phrase which I hate. Whenever they are mad at me or do not like something that I have asked them to do, they respond with, "You are not the best mommy!"
For the first several months after Reese was born, I berated myself on an almost daily basis about the things that I did not do perfectly. Eventually, I realized that there will always be somebody that is more patient, a better housekeeper, more organized, etc and that I needed to focus on the things that are important to me and my family first and to let the other things slide. I kept this in mind as I responded to my kids hurtful accusation.
Though I was hurt by the kids saying this at first, I responded, "I am your mommy and I do the best I can for you." After 4 years as a parent, I truly believe what I say. I know that I will never be the best mommy, but I will be the best mommy that I can be for my kids!

Mother/ Son movie date

For my birthday, over a month ago, Randy gave me a gift card to take Aidan to a movie of his choice. We finally found the perfect time to steal away for a little one on one time this past Sunday. While Randy and Reese were occupied at the boat show, Aidan and I headed to the theatre to watch "Chipwrecked", the Chipmunks third movie. On the way to the theatre, Aidan talked non-stop!
Aidan: "Are we going to the moobie featre?"
Me: "Yes we are."
Aidan: "Yay! Are we going to watch the Chipmunks?"
Me: "Yes we are."
Aidan: "Yay! Are we going to get popcorn?"
Me:"Of course."
Aidan: "Yay!"
The questions continued all the way there. I was totally cracking up!

When we finally got there, he was so excited! He kept saying how we were going to the moobies and daddy and Reese didn't get to go. He was definitely feeling pretty special! He was not too happy to have to wait in line for our tickets, but the people around us were getting a kick out of his antics. With tickets in hand, we stopped at the restroom before getting our popcorn and pop. I had my hands full with coats and purse and our pop, so I gave Aidan our large popcorn to carry to the theatre. He took off and I was waiting for him to spill it all over, but he was very careful. I guess he got a little hungry on our walk to the theatre because I caught him sticking his tongue into the bucket and sneaking a few kernels!

We found an aisle seat in the theatre just in case we had to take a potty break during the movie. He sat right down and dug into the popcorn. He stopped only occassionally to comment on how we were watching the Chipmunks and that Reese and daddy were not there. After the movie started he snuggled right up to the arm I had in his seat to hold the chair down. He looked up at me and said, "Mommy, I love you!" Though I wanted to shush him for the sake of the other patrons, I couldn't because I was too chocked up. He got a little antsy towards the end of the movie, but we made it all the way through without a potty break or major interruptions for the people around us.

Just like my date with Reese, this experience showed me how different both of the kids personalities can be when they are in a one on one situation. It also affirmed that we should continue these one on one dates with the kids. Though I have always tried to include both of the kids in everything I do, these experiences have taught me that it is beneficial to have certain events that are special to each kid as an individual. I can't wait until my next special date day with my little man!