Snapshots Continued

Okay, I know most kids do it, but I thought we had Luke buying into the whole idea that only Grandma Stern can give haircuts. Wrong...a couple of days ago, he gave himself and Erica haircuts. He used a kid's safety scissors (at least he used an age appropriate tool) and he did in the bathroom (at least it was easy to clean up the mess). But, he took a pretty big chunk right out of the middle of his bangs, nearly down to the scalp. And, he got a chunk of Erica's bangs on one side, which we can camoflauge a little bit. His reason for doing this: 1 - his bangs were in his eyes, 2 - he wanted to look like Ryan (who just got a buzz cut), 3 - he did not do this, but we're trying to find the guy that did it. At first I was pretty upset, but I've kind of gotten used to the way they look. And, it's just hair, so it will grow back. Now if only I was sure that he wouldn't try to do this again. I guess I should be wishing that he won't come up with even bigger trouble...

Here's more of the snapshots in time...

Erica

• Likes to say "Hey, Matt" to get her daddy's attention
• Obsessed with Calliou. We record the daily episodes (she usually watches one in our bed while I shower in the morning), and a Calliou video is the first thing she looks for at the library
• Needs to have her chair right next to mine while we eat so she can put her feet on my leg
• Calls Luke "Gook-ger"
• Loves to swing. Wants to go higher and touch the trees
• Tries to take off her PJs every night - we either pin the zipper or pin the top to the bottom (snaps aren't enough of a deterrent). If she gets the jammies off, the diaper follows. Then she will pee in her bed. Then she will cry. Then mom or dad will speak firmly to her. Then she will cry harder.
• Starting to use sentences, like "Gook-ger, go away!" or "Puppy scares me" or "Carry you" (which really means she wants to be carried)
• Loves to play with her kitchen set and food
• Has a long list of things she must have at bedtime: blankie (both pieces - so much for cutting it in half so we'd have an extra if one was lost), Abby, bottle (for Abby), cup of water (for herself), ice cream (plastic ice cream cone, or the plastic chicken drumstick in a pinch) and duckie (the stuffed duck that's as big as she is). Then, she wants to snuggle for a while, then you need to rub her head for a while. She's quite the con artist.
• Favorite foods: Baked beans, watermelon, Cheerios, muskmelon, mac 'n' cheese
• Loves the color purple. Starting to learn all of the colors.
• If you ask her how old she is, she says "Two" and holds up all five of her fingers. This is followed by "Macy three".
• Likes to play with the dollhouse she got as a hand-me-down from the McLaughlins
• Very opinionated about what she wants to wear - tries to pick her own outfits
• Fascinated by babies. Considers anyone her size or smaller a baby (sometimes even kids that look bigger and older than her to me are called babies).

Kids - A Snapshot in Time

Little things - important to remember. Slip your mind so quickly if you don't write them down. So, here is a look at the little things that really tell you who they are right now.

Alex -

• Checking out on school. The boy is just ready for summer vacation. It's hard to push for him to plug away at his homework, especially when the weather's nice. He's done such a great job this year that I don't think we need to worry if he slacks off a bit during these last couple of weeks.
• He's loving the Nintendo DS he got for his birthday; although, thankfully, he's not as totally obsessed with it as I thought he would be.
• He make up jokes (at least he claims he made them up): Pete and Repeat were sitting on a fence. Pete fell off. Who was left? Repeat... InchMe and PinchMe were in a boat. InchMe fell out. Who was left?
• Fights with his brother nearly constantly. Those boys have some fierce sibling rivalry.
• As much as he fights with Luke, he is so sweet and loving with Erica. He just adores that girl. I guess it's easier to get along with her because he doesn't see her as direct competition like he sees Luke.
• Gets along great with other kids, but also content to do his own thing. For a while we were worried that he was too much of a loner, but I don't think that's the case. He's the kind of kid that doesn't mind playing alone sometimes - he'd rather do what he wants by himself than do something he's not interested in with someone else. His teacher said he is a leader that won't do stupid things just because other kids are.
• Is very mechanically inclined. He understands Matt's machines better than some of the operators do.
• Still a hard worker. Happier to be doing a project than playing. Begs Matt to let him cut the grass (he can start the mower and mow some of the more open flat areas).
• Gives me hugs and kisses when I tuck him in at night. As much as I felt really sad and worried when we found out that he was missing several permanent teeth, it did start a wonderful nightly ritual. We brush and floss our teeth together almost every night, and then I tuck him in. It's just 5-10 minutes of one-on-one time, but it has been a true blessing.

Julia

• Still getting back to healthy. Ear infections followed by pneumonia followed by a mystery bug...it's been a rough couple of months for her. It sure does make us appreciate her personality and good spirits when it's been a while without having her really shine. It is a true blessing that she is such a strong little girl and that she is so easy going. She rarely fusses, never cries and just keeps plugging along, sick or not. So many lessons to learn from that girl.

Luke -

• So full of life that he sometimes sucks it right out of the rest of us. It's nearly impossible to keep up with him, so the best we can do is try to keep his energy focused. Because otherwise, you will have: melted popsicles behind the couch (or a half-finished yogurt drink or Cheerios or crumbs from a granola bar) - a boy needs his snacks along with a nail clipper or two - a boy needs to be well-groomed and take care of his 'nail problems' (nails that snag or are too sharp); dish soap smeared on the window sill and furniture - a boy needs to help his mom clean; books with the pages 'glued' together with toothpaste - a boy needs to do his craft projects; Luke and Erica sneaking out of the house - a boy needs to show his sister how to escape to the sandbox - there really is never a dull moment with that boy!
• Most trouble is followed by an explanation that begins "I just..."
• So full of love and so happy that it's easy to forgot how much trouble he can get into.
• Does not take a daily nap, but he should. He gave them up back in April or so when we moved him out of his crib. Once he was free, it became nearly impossible to keep him still enough to take a nap. He does make up for it at night though and usually sleeps from 7pm to 6:30am.
• Recently overheard him talking to himself saying, "I don't know everything. Someday I hope to know everything."
• Also said, "Erica doesn't know everything. I'm going to teach her everything I know."
• Makes friends so easily. It's not unusual for Luke to know more people than the rest of us. He doesn't just tag along to his big brother's stuff, but makes them his own - he's got friends at Alex's soccer, friends at Cub Scouts, etc. Not to mention his friends from school, neighbors, grocery store clerks...you get the idea. He's a true charmer.
• Uses big words...like "The mail has arrived," and "I need my helmet to fit properly." He was an early talker, and he still has really good verbal skills.

Okay, early to bed for a change. I need to add more to this list (didn't even get to Erica yet). Maybe tomorrow...or the next day.

This and That

1 - It feels so good to have everyone HEALTHY again. It has once again been a long winter of illness - countless ear and upper respiratory infections, some stomach bugs, pneumonia for both Matt and Julia...it was rare day this winter that there wasn't at least one person sick in this house. Countless prayers have been said asking for good health, and I'm hopeful that we're through with the ick of winter (now if only the weather would stay warm...)

2 - Luke is potty trained!!! And, once it happened, it just happened. I could guess that it was the new Dora seat that we bought or the M 'n' M bribes or the quarters from Grandpa, Grandma and Mr. Morrow or making him wear underwear instead of Pull-ups or banning him from the Gator until he stayed dry. But, I think that none of those 'incentives' made a big difference. In the end, potty training happened when Luke thought it should happen, and not a day sooner.

3 - I'm going to lose 15 pounds this summer. Maybe putting it in writing will make me stick to it. I haven't been walking regularly (I'll blame that on the weather), but I'm ready to get my walking shoes back on. And, with my addiction to allrecipes.com, I should be able to find some yummy and healthy recipes. It sure would feel good to feel good.

4 - I LOVE my new camera. Even using the auto settings, it takes really nice pictures. Now, I just need to figure out f-stops and apertures so I can really master that beautiful piece of equipment.

5 - My kids really needed haircuts. Audrey and Mark came down this weekend, and Audrey gave them all a long-overdue cut. Erica had her first real haircut, and she did a pretty good job sitting still. Her hair was so wispy and fine, but I was still a little sad to see the length go. But, she looks like a little pixie girl with her new 'do.

Art Fair - Times Two

Sometimes it is not so easy to have kids attending two different elementary schools. Two sets of teachers and staff to figure out, two Christmas concerts, parent/teacher conferences in two places...just some logistical challenges.

Tonight was one of those duplicating nights - both Alex and Julia had their science and art fairs. We weren't sure what or if Julia would have any art projects on display because we're not sure how much time she spends in art class with the rest of her 5K friends. And, she couldn't point out her work or scope out the school in advance to find where her things were displayed. But, we the visit was a success. We found two of Julia's projects and several others done by her friends. We also ran into her classmate Caitlyn and her family - in fact, Julia is invited to her birthday party in a couple of weeks. After Julia's show, we went to Alex's. He had four projects in the show, and he's very proud of his work. He had a really neat picture of Pooh and Tigger, a banner, a name drawing and a googly eye picture (one character had a Pokemon tail...he is obsessed with Pokemon). Alex is always so excited to serve as the tour guide. We saw where Mrs. McCudden's room is (where he goes for his reading enrichment group). And, Alex took Luke to the bathroom - a success except Alex said he was so busy watching Luke to make sure he was okay, he peed on his shoes. Oh, my.

Even if it was a duplicating night, it was worth the double effort...now, what's going to happen when Luke and Erica hit the circuit?

Luke says the funniest things - now, get rid of those diapers already!!

When something goes wrong - "Oh, sunken ship!"
As he was ready to put two large sections of a puzzle together - "Prepare your eyeballs, Mom."

And, on the potty training front - it's coming along slowly. We did get a new Dora seat for the toilet, and that seems to interest him. And, a crazy but nice success - he insisted on going potty at Dr. Colan's office today. Complained that the toilet was too big (he did look very uncomfortable) - then, finally decided to stand like a big boy (just barely tall enough. As much as I wanted to tell him to just go in his diaper because it would be so much easier (for me), it was worth the extra effort when he actually went.

Julia is 6!

I know that my mind works in weird ways. I create stress where there doesn't need to be any. But, for a couple of reasons that exist mainly in my own head, this birthday has weighed heavy on my heart for a while. First, although no one can tell us how long we will have Julia with us and medical advances can give her many more healthy years, I've heard that the many Aicardi girls die between the ages of 6-8. So, even though Julia has been very healthy and we've been seeing better seizure control than we've had in years, this birthday marks a scary kind of milestone.

Second, when Julia started kindergarten and began to be more included with her 5K class, I said that my biggest goal for the school year was for Julia to have a friend birthday party. It was really important to me that Julia have a regular birthday party - cake, games, the whole thing. I just wasn't sure to make it all work out. Even the invite list was a bit challenging - after all, I can't just ask Julia which special friends she would like to invite. Luckily, we have been blessed beyond measure to have Julia be a part of a class that includes some truly exceptional kids. Back in December, Julia was invited to her first friend party. Maya Morris will forever be etched in my heart as a very special little girl. Not only was she the first to invite Julia to a birthday party, but I think she truly sees Julia as just another little girl rather than the kid in a wheelchair. I think this because when I called to RSVP for the party, I mentioned that Julia was in a wheelchair just so there would be no surprises. And, that was the first time that Maya's mom had heard that Julia had special needs. I guess Maya had never thought it was important to mention it because it's not the first thing she sees about Julia. Kids are sometimes so much smarter than us grown-ups! Maya's party was at the bowling alley, and Julia and I both had a great time. All of the kids treated Julia like one of the gang - no one made us feel like it was a hassle to set up the bowling ramp when it was Julia's turn (in fact, they all wanted the chance to help Julia bowl).

Julia attended her second party during spring break. The birthday girl was Ashley Schoen, and her birthday is just a few days before Julia's. Another great experience.

And, then Sunday was the day for Julia's celebration. Maya and Ashley both came, along with Aubrey (another 5K friend) and Caitlyn (Julia's best buddy from OHI - to make it more special, this was Caitlyn's first birthday party). The day could not have been better. The girls were so patient and into the activities we had planned. And, so thoughtful. Buying gifts for Julia can be challenging. Yet, each of the girls gave Julia a very well-thought-out gift. From birthday cards that included music to a princess keyboard to a framed scrapbook page with photos of the party guests, each gift was truly a gift from the heart. And, a complete hit with both Julia and her siblings - Alex has tried to adopt the soft MushaBelly bird, Luke thinks the pink and purple 'hairball' is just his thing and Erica has fallen in love with the Abby Cadabby doll.

Such a good day, such a good experience...such a good reminder that the heart of life is good. It gives me happy tears every time I think about it.

Spring is Here?

I took Luke and Erica to the park today. It was *almost* warm. Highlight - swinging. Erica likes to go higher than Luke, although he went "higher than a cow". Oh yeah, evidently I was the cow for comparison. Not sure where he comes up this stuff. I swear they would have stayed in those swings for an hour if I'd have kept pushing them. Although Luke was clear - don't push him as high as Erica. She just giggles like a maniac - push higher = more giggles. She's a daredevil.