Fabulous Farah!

Definitely a free spirit 

Farah is loving this summer (between kindergarten and first grade). We continued to have some major clothing issues, but they magically evaporated on the last day of school! I've tried to get her to communicate why she's okay with clothes now and a few weeks ago we were battling over every stitch of clothing. She basically said she likes her freedom. I guess I can understand that, but it's not as easy to handle at 7:01 on a Monday when we were supposed to be loaded in the van already and she's upstairs shrieking about her pants. Oh, well, we have several weeks before we have to think about that again!
I am so glad that she is enjoying getting up and out of the house. In years past, that has been a major battle, just getting dressed and going to do something. This summer, she wants to go do something new each day, and I am happily accommodating that desire! So far this summer, we have been to Blandy Farm, storytime at the library (not a favorite of hers), the pool (twice), the splash pad in Winchester, The Frontier Culture Museum (a huge hit; I think she shares my love of history), Dinosaur Land, and are getting ready to spend three days in Lancaster, PA with Joyce. Every night Farah records in her journal what she did that day with an accompanying drawing. She loves the drawing part, but not the writing so much. Like the clothing, Farah likes her freedom in choosing what and how to write. She will write up a storm during naptime (not so much of it actually makes sense), but to sit down and write a journal or a letter to a friend is not as pleasant.
Currently, Farah is getting along quite well with her siblings. She and Blake can have some battles, but all in all, they enjoy each other, and she knows how to get the alone time she needs. She, as always, has a fabulous imagination and vocabulary. She did well in kindergarten, but I think she expected to be able to read easily by now. She hates when I suggest a book for her to read aloud to me. I don't want to push her too hard, but I know that practice will help in the long run.
Our biggest issue lately has been attitude, lots of eye rolling and mean words under her breath, as well as some back talking. It's hard to know how to discipline that type of behavior. I told her I was going to start calling her "Rudy Attitudi." She said she would die of embarrassment if I called her that in public! She is so perfect when it's just the two of us, but unfortunately, that doesn't happen as often as she would probably like. She has started running with me some in the evenings, which we both love. She is very funny; her sense of humor can often be inappropriate, but she also knows how to be witty. Her fashion sense is very unique (she prides herself on that) and she gets along well with the kids in our neighborhood. Her best friend is Ella. If you ask her what she wants to be when she grows up, she'll tell you a fashion designer. I love when she senses that I'm getting stressed out, usually when I'm trying to get everyone out of the house, she'll tell me she loves me. She has a sweet, kind heart, and is definitely one of a kind!

Baltimore Zoo Spring Break '14

One of the many "Farah Payne Original Ensembles" 

Going to the movies with her buddies 

Sitting just like my grandmother used to 

She LOVES getting her face painted

And being dramatic 

Not such a big girl though...

My Favorite Little Girl

Miss Curly 

So Smiley!

Lenah is almost 20 months and is such a delight! I could just squeeze her 24/7. She says so much now. She can say, "I want..." and "Where is..." and fill in pretty much any word after that. Usually, "gum" is what she wants. It didn't take her long to learn the correct response to a burp or toot is a very dramatic, "EWWW." She went through a stage this winter of claiming every seat as hers and pushing anyone else out of it.

She loves her brother and sister, but isn't crazy about Blake's in-your-face-love. She spends much of her time pretending she's a puppy, or pumping her arm and yelling, "mine, mine, mine" with a huge smile on her face. She's so easy to make laugh, and she wants to do all the big kid things-sit in regular chairs, chew gum, climb on everything high and dangerous, and ride bikes and scooters. She loves animals and has already made friends, especially Avery, "Mae Mae," Penelope, and Casey. Her curls are to die for, as well as her sweet smile, and funny, sassy personality. I so want to freeze time; I know how quickly it goes.

Climbing on everything dangerous 

Being one of the big kids

Claiming Daddy's lap and his food 

Animal lover

Blake relinquishes the binki

Blake gave up his pacifier shortly before turning three. I was ready to ban them when he broke his leg. I thought I would surely have to wait until the cast came off, but after a few weeks, I just couldn't stand it anymore. The "binki fairy" came in early April and took his bag of binkis from the tree in the backyard and gave him a Teenage Mutant Ninja turtle in place of the binkis. Blake did not consider this a fair trade. He kept crying that he was "still a little boy," and hence was entitled to his binkis still.
The first night, Farah slept with him. She said she had to rub his back and sing to him to keep him from fussing. Thank God for kind big sisters!

I remember Farah was excited to leave the bag for the binki fairy and wait for her present. Blake, not so much. 

Before I Forget...

Cute things I've been keeping mental tabs of:
1. At Easter, Blake was on the couch between Heath's parents, and they were teasing and tickling him and just giving him a hard time, in a playful way, of course. Blake was getting so frustrated. You could see he was searching for something to say to them, when he finally yelled, "Stop it, you old creatures!"

2. The first day of summer break '14, I took the kids to storytime at the Bowman Library. I knew that Farah was really too old for it, but the other two are a perfect age, and it was too hot of a day to do anything outside. She was playing in the little house in the kids' section when the final song, "Silly Willy," came on. She used to love that song and puppet show. I tried to encourage her to come listen or dance, and she casually shot up an "L" shape with her hand (for "loser") and went back to playing.

3. We were out to eat when the waitress asked for our drink order, Lenah (1 yr), quickly answered, "tea!"

First Broken Bone of the Family

Blake gets the award for the first broken bone of the Payne children. In March '14, Blake was playing on Miss Trisha's playset (the first time it was nice all winter), he was standing on the "shaky bridge," Avery jumped on, and he was catapulted off the bridge.
He received a hairline fracture to the tibia, and he had a cast for 4 weeks. Luckily, he got the cast off just days before his third birthday party. When he first got the cast on, he refused to even attempt to walk. He got pretty good at limping around with the cast after about a week. Then, when the cast came off, he actually continued to walk like he still had a cast on for a few weeks! We were worried about his gait returning to normal, but of course, it did.