January 2014

A few things to reflect back on: 1. I can't even imagine what kind of teenager Farah is going to be when she seems to have PMS at age 5. Eye rolling and major mood swings are just par for the course these days. Blake has been so sweet to her, and it breaks my heart to see her be so mean to him. Of course, she does mother him too (sometimes that's a good thing and sometimes it's not). I hope I don't sound half as mean as she does when she's "discipling Blake."
2. I wonder how long Blake's "good spell" will last? He's been such a sweet heart lately. Last night he beat me to the punch at bedtime, saying, "Sweet dreams, Mom. I love you." Tonight he told me he wanted to tell me something in my ear, and then he whispered, "You're a good mom."
3. Lenah is the first of the three children at this age (just turned 1) who takes Goodnight Moon from my hands and turns the pages and insists on going back to the page she wants to see again or skip forward. I have no control over what page we're reading when. And if I try to read a different book, she finds Goodnight Moon in her crib and insists on reading that one. Strong willed?
4. Will I ever be able to ride my bike around the neighborhood? I got a bike with my Christmas money from my mother-in-law. I got a mountain bike, which I'm now thinking may not have been the best idea. I'm having a heck of a time just getting around my neighborhood. I know I'm not in peak physical condition, but I remember bike riding as being easy! Now my thighs are burning and if it wasn't for my pride, I think I'd push it home. One problem is I have no idea what gear to be in when (I guess I could read the owner's manual), two I bought an off road bike and I live in a subdivision, and three, I haven't ridden a bike in twenty years.

Light at the End of the Tunnel, Turning Corners, Whatever You Want to Call It

I think my two year old is starting to exit the "terrible twos." Blake has a fiery temper and probably always will to some degree, but he's becoming so much more REASONABLE. Maybe this ties in to the incessant "why" phase; he's starting to figure things out and doesn't have to throw fits over everything. I've started noticing it here and there. Tonight the laser pointer stopped working; he wanted to know WHY of course. I didn't know why and he was okay with that. After bath he wanted to bring a toy out of the tub, I told him that if he brought it out he might not have it for tomorrow night (normally this is where the screaming or spitting, his favorite form of torment, would begin), but he casually dropped it back in the tub and went on with his business. Hallelujah!
Speaking of turning corners, Heath is contemplating keeping Lenah home with him tomorrow on his day off. This would mark the first time that he's voluntarily watched her. Big changes around the Payne household.

New Year 2014

 

  We're having a marathon of "home days," since Christmas break and now snow (ice) days. Farah is actually really missing school. A few days before winter break was even over she asked, "Am I ever going back to school?" I'm so relieved that she likes it so much. Yesterday, during another day of just staying home and playing, Farah and Blake were in one of their favorite spots, the papasan (without the mattress), where they were pretending it was a boat and they were "capsizing" (new word for them that they used over and over and over). Blake told Farah he wanted to use it as a trap, a booby trap, to which Farah replied, "What's that? When Mommy hides and squirts milk in your face!" What in the world! She has the most inappropriate sense of humor...and I have no idea where that came from (wink, wink).
  Lenah is walking all around the house now and her vocabulary (at the end of 13 months) includes: cat (her favorite), hot, hat, da-da, Sissy (for Farah), maybe she says Bubba for Blake (I'm pretty sure she does), a one word combination of what'sthat?, and cup. She used to say duck, but I haven't heard that one in awhile. Blake is in a major "why" phase. He's worse than any kid I've ever been around. It's almost getting exhausting just to talk to him. He asked me today at noon why we were awake. A couple of days ago he asked me why Target was a store. And  he doesn't take being ignored well. I know it's important for his development and he's exploring, and at first we were amazingly patient, but it's starting to wear on me now. Farah says, "He really asks some hard questions, doesn't he?"
  We recently got back from a great post Christmas vacation to Massanutten. The kids loved the waterpark and the condo was great too. Tubing was too much for them though. It may have been because it was our third day there and it was after naps, or maybe it was the cold weather, but whatever the combination, we pretty much wasted our money on that part of the trip. At the top of the hill starting our second run, Blake announced to Heath that he had to pee. There was no lift down and there was a line to tube, so Heath had to walk him all the way down the hill. When they got done, Blake didn't want to put his snow pants back on, and Farah didn't want to even go in the first place, so we just threw our hands up in the air and went home. But that was not the only "oh my gosh, I can't believe you just said that" moment. At the waterpark there was an African American couple that Blake was standing near as he came down from the frog slide. I noticed that he was saying something over and over in their direction. Then he came closer to me and I realized he was basically chanting, "why they black, Mom, why they black?" Instead of launching into an explanation in the middle of the kiddie pool, I just redirected him to the sprinklers and made a mental note of expanding the diversity in his life.

The only photo I took at Massanutten (sometimes it's liberating not chasing the kids around with a camera, hoping to get the perfect picture to post on Facebook).

  I guess I should mention Christmas too. It was a lot of fun all around. We went to my mom's, had Christmas morning here, and Heath prepared a feast for our parents on Christmas night. We also saw the lights at Clearbrook park a few days before Christmas on an unseasonably warm night. Of course we were not the only ones with the brilliant idea to see the lights on a warm night. When we got off the exit and saw the line of cars, I thought, "How long is Heath really going to wait in this line?" But he gritted his teeth and did it. Of course, it was 6:15 at that point and he was convinced that we wouldn't get into the park until 8 p.m. As we were leaving, I had to point out that it was just turning 8.
  I'd say we did really well with the present selections as well, except for the fact that we went overboard again. Farah got a pet stroller, toy store set, lots of stickers, dress up clothes that were edgier than just princess dresses, she loved the temporary hair dye in her stocking, plus she got a ladybug terrarium, a globe, books, a new Monster High doll (just what we needed, but all she really asked for by name), and a baby that she had picked out weeks earlier and was patiently waiting for. My mom got her a microphone and cool wooden barn with ponies, and Heath's mom got her an easy bake oven (which we already had and got rid of years earlier!). Blake loved his Buzz Lightyear (which we already had one and destroyed, so basically we just are getting the same toys over and over again), he got lots of things with engines and wings, plus tools, and his favorite thing might be the Melissa and Doug magnetic ice cream set. That boy loves anything to do with sweets! Lenah loved the little couch from my mom and the big puppy we got her. Even Lenah got more toys than the average child, but they did have a great time opening and playing with everything, and we're still enjoying the new toys together.

 Notice the perspiration on my brow after trying to take a decent picture of the three of them under the tree.

 Of course they're perfect when they're not in their good clothes, sitting on raggedy chairs.

 Can you hear Farah saying through gritted teeth, "Give me those beads."

 I kept saying, "Open your eyes, Buddy," and he kept saying, "They are!"

 An hour after she calmed down and recovered from my attempts to photograph her.

 Christmas morning. Farah gasped, "Santa knows my style!"

The end of a great Christmas.