The problem with sisters is that they tend to express their love in sticker form. And when you’re a boy, this may not be desirable…
Tag: kids
Happy Birthday Baylor!
Today, Ms. B turns 4 years old. It’s not officially official until 11:46pm tonight, but we’ll say it’s close enough. After a week of parties, special outings and presents, we are spending today quietly. We’re going to play with all the new presents and put a candle in everything she eats and sing and cover her with kisses.
Happy birthday big girl! Stop eating those green beans that make you grow so fast!
Birthday rewind: last year
Second birthday
First birthday
The real birthday
21,000 Questions
I know that having your kids ask a ton of questions is a great sign that their minds are working and growing. But holy moly does Ms.B come up with a lot of questions. I try to answer them as truthfully as I can, but it can be a challege. If you have any good answers to the below questions, I’m all ears. These are all actual questions Baylor has asked :
Why does red mean stop and green mean go?
Who decided that red means stop and green means go?
Why doesn’t your car have a trunk? (we have an SUV)
Why do trucks have a bed?
What is the National Guard?
What is the army? (follow up question when I tried to tie it into the army…)
Who are these brave men and women? What are their names?
Why doesn’t Curious George have a tail? Monkeys have tails. (that’s actually a good one. I’m curious too.)
Why is that person riding the bus?
Why don’t they have a car?
Where is that person going?
Why don’t you know where that person is going?
Why is running good exercise?
Why do green beans make you grow?
Why is there a sign that says ducks cross here?
Why is that person running?
Why doesn’t Auggie have teeth?
Why do your teeth fall out?
Why did that lady on TV say that we need to make Arizona a nicer place? It’s already a nice place. (That one was pretty cute).
Why did that man on the news say California?
Why did that man on the news say Washington D.C.?
When are we getting a dog?
Why does that sign have a picture of (insert picture of anything here) on it?
Why do bees make flowers into tomatoes?
Why do babies not go poop on the toilet?
Why are you wearing that shirt?
Why do you think that shirt looks cute?
Why do you volunteer to help at school?
Why can’t I wear sunglasses at school?
Why does Henry get to wear sunglasses at school?
What is a medical condition?
Can I have a medical condition?
Usually one or two of these lead to follow up questions and explanations. It is also the reason I generally can’t talk or think by 7pm most nights.
Model Behavior
Apparently if you give Baylor a raincoat and rain boots to play dress up with, she turns into a model….
Oh How They Grow
I have been looking for a fun and different growth chart that the kiddos could share – the standard kind are A. too small (my kids are giants) and B. just boring. I found what I had been looking for on, duh, Pinterest. It was a large board made to look like a ruler and it was rediculously cute.
I have a deep desire to get some stuff checked off my to do list in an attempt to sleep well at night – (I’ve been having those dreams where you are headed to class, but you can’t find it. You get there and you’re not sure if you’re there on the right day and time)- so Peter bought and stained the board and then we tag teamed the decorations. I followed the instructions on 517 Decorations which were descriptive and simple. She had a cleaver way to get the numbers on the board and gave the font and size which made it a no brainer. It is hanging in their room and looks awesome! Using their check up records, I marked in purple and green their height from birth to now. The only down side is that I now have to measure Bay after every dinner where she eats green beans because we told her they would make her grow. There could be worse side effects….
Easter. Better Late Than Never
While I was downloading pictures, I realized I never got any from this past Easter up. Auggie’s sweater was a great idea in theory, but Mother Nature decided to make it 85 degrees so it didn’t last long. At least I got a few pics first!
Those loafers on those chubby feet kill me!
“Smile! No SMILE!!! Ok, look at me. Thank you for trying to make your brother smile by tickling him….”
“Ok, seriously. How are both looking in different directions!! Look here!! Smile!!”
Ok. They aren’t looking, but they are both smiling and looking really cute…
Just Us
Last Friday, my awesome sister Ali volunteered to watch Augg so B and I could go to the Children’s Museam, just us. Ali also did the laundry while we were gone. She. Is. Awesome!
Baylor was beyond excited about the Children’s Museam and couldn’t quite grasp that we were going just the two of us. We could do whatever she wanted, when she wanted and I would have two hands free to participate. No breaks for bottles, naps or diaper changes. She asked from the back seat on the drive downtown if we could go to the grocery store section first and they way she asked is like how she asks if she can watch cartoons when she knows the answer is going to be “no”. The pure excitement when I told her “sure, we can do whatever you want” was priceless.
Both of us in the flying bathtub.
The Climber is both the coolest and most unnerving exhibit. It’s built like a giant tree house. It’s all enclosed and yet feels like you could fall out at any second! Of course, the billy goat was all over it.
The grocery and kitchen exhibit.
We had the fort room all to ourselves so we made this masterpiece.
Painting the giant rocket
Toothpaste car – doesn’t she look like she’s 12?!
We capped off our visit with a trip to the gift shop (which we never do) and found some fun things we don’t need. It was amazing how B’s attitude became one of nice words, gentle playing and general contentment for the rest of the weekend. I realized that she can’t verbalize when she needs more one on one attention – I need to get some help with the big guy more often so that she and I can have some fun – just us.
If you go to the Children’s Museum – go early! The school field trip buses arrive around 1030 but the museum opens at 9. Get there right as the doors unlock so that when the big kids get there, you’ll be on the upper floors already. Pack snacks and don’t bring a big bag and don’t bring your full wallet – the climber doesn’t allow purses so you have to leave it at the bottom. Plus you can get your hands on more when you’re not swinging around a big purse. Grab some hand sanitizer and a dose of patience, it can be a bit of a jungle in there!
Take Your Daughter To Work Day
Baylor came with me to a site inspection for the water company. It had just rained and there was mud everywhere. She quietly asked me if she could stomp around and I said yes. Mid sentence, the inspector looked over my shoulder. When I turned around I saw B sitting in the mud. I quickly realized she was laughing – her feet were stuck in the thick mud and she fell over. It made my heart happy to see her laughing while sitting in the mud rather than freaking out. Gotta love a kid who likes to get dirty.
Deep Thoughts with Baylor: Gymnastics
“Mommy? Why do they call it gymnastics?”
“I guess because it’s in a gym.”
“No but why is it called gym-mats-sticks?”
“Is this a trick question?”
“I get why they say gym because it’s in a gym. And there are mats. But why do they say sticks? We don’t ever use any sticks! I wish we did get sticks.”
Digital Detox
After a full week of a nasty little virus that left Baylor feeling well enough to get out of bed but not good enough to go to school, she is FINALLY feeling better. Fever gone and ear infection cleared up, she was back to school on Thursday. But after a week of constant cartoons, I was left with a little girl who felt better and yet was acting like a beast. She was constantly asking for cartoons and throwing tantrums when she wasn’t getting her way. Cut to me standing outside of church Saturday evening with a soon to be four year old screaming her head off because she didn’t want to sit quietly and I was threatening to leave her on the bench outside so I could go to mass inside. I decided that it was time for a digital detox.
I told PW my plan and he was on board; no cartoons (except on runs…I get to be a little selfish). Sunday was rough. The harsh reality of “when you don’t listen and you act like a lunatic, you loose privileges and cartoons are privileges” set in. We had friends over for brunch and Baylor was EVERYWHERE. It would have been so easy to turn on Sophia the First and get some less-interrupted time with our friends, but we stayed strong. By Sunday night, it was a game. She would ask half heartedly just to see what we would say. And this morning, it was a non event. She asked, I said no and we moved on. We did get a run in but even then, she easily handed over the Ipad and found something to entertain herself. I found her playing in her playhouse in the backyard and having a great time. I realized we were long over due for a cleanse. As the temperatures begin to really heat up, our outside time is going to be less and less. So giving her a reason to go outside, get bored and use her imagination is the best reason to turn off Disney Junior. Not to mention she’s a way nicer kid when she’s not hopped up on Doc McStuffins.
The Goon Room 