My little beauty

I only stop to write this down briefly because I feel i'll forget. In fact, I know I will and I don't want to.

Tonight Claire, at just barely 2.5, is completely potty trained and insisting that she doesn't need a diaper at night either. So tonight I appeased her, going with HER gut instinct.

She woke up at 2:30 am, crying, but dry, so I took her to the potty and she went, then insisted she stayed in our bed. Since she has a knack with her, "please, OH, PLEASE?" I let her. It's normal right now for her.

She dosed for five minutes then woke up again, wide awake. She grinned widely at me, and told me she was hungry. She told me she wanted frets-els (pretzels). I told her we didn't have any at all and she said...

"They are at the store."

"I'm not going to the store right now, baby girl."

"They are at the store!"

I got her some apple slices and some milk..." Because I believe her that she's hungry. She's a 2 year old girl wearing 4-5 year old clothes and is even having issues with some of the 5 year old tops. So in children's clothes, she's sometimes needing 6 year old stuff. No doubt she's hungry.

While she smacked she talked about what color everyone's eyes were in the family. Their hair color. That she's a pirate. That daddy stole her baaas today, and asked if I needed hers then asked why I didn't need one to sleep. And we grinned at each other and talked until she fell back asleep. As she drifted off, Adam woke up needing comforting so I rubbed his back a while before going back to her.

And I watched her little flowers on her night gown go up and down as I watched her fall asleep, and realized how absolutely lucky I am to have this time with her. She absolutely glowed with... Beauty. 

And I don't like to think that I ever miss these moments while they grow up, and I watched her sleep for a few minutes in our bed, with her blankie, piggie, a little loaner Carebear I gave her of mine (until santa comes), in our bed. And I know this time goes by way too quickly.

Christmas Lights and Lollipops.

Last week I found a beautifully cloudy day that wasn't wet and wasn't cold, and we spontaneously did our Christmas photos. I had an idea of what I wanted to do and it took quite a bit of work to prepare the space... mostly in the form of actually cleaning up the backyard. And it was a lot less work than I would have thought to get the kids to participate. Doesn't hurt that my ultimate plan included gigantic lollipops.

They all need haircuts and I haven't bought "Christmas clothes" (I may not at all this year), so pajamas fit the whole premise of... "I stringed up my siblings with Christmas lights and ate all the Christmas candy" motif. If that could be considered a motif.

Muahahahahahahahahahahaha.

Funny side note... Colin was the only one of the three who tried to use the lights as a leash to drag the other two around the yard... he didn't get far considering Adam and Claire are built like athletes and pretty dang heavy... but he tried, and they laughed.

Let's be honest... Colin is the ultimate "villain" model. It just radiates off of him. Cute and devious, and loves every second of it.

He's working on his "mean" face.

This is Adam's favorite. It's the first time he's crept up on me while I was editing and said, immediately, "I LIKE THAT ONE!"

Here's the funny thing: CALEY WAS THRILLED TO BE INVITED INTO A PHOTO. And this was her pose. When I called her name and said, "Caley, look over here!" She literally smiled, wagged her tail at me, and then continued to pose. This is her regal pose. In front of very "unregal" children.

Here's the thing. I know I'm not sending out Christmas cards this year. I'm a terrible, horrible, rotten person... I know. It's not that I think they aren't worthy... it's just, well.... I had to choose and it didn't make the list. However, THIS did. I have high hopes that next year I will do real Christmas cards and it will be brilliant (yeah, right).

I honestly might be the only person in the world who LOVES two year olds.

Adam especially got into it...

 

What is not captured is how between "takes" they rushed to the trampoline to jump with their mega lollipops and they really had a blast doing it.

I loved how the kids really got into the "role" of modeling. They all wanted a turn as the "bad guy." They all wanted to be tangled in lights... and there would have been a lot more if Colin hadn't considered "Don't do that! The lights will break!" a direct challenge.

The lights, sadly... did not survive.

Plus, if you do this with your kids, be warned that the lights like this get really hot when they are on for more than a few minutes, so just be careful. They also aren't the most "sturdy" of props. As in, if you have a two-year-old SMASHER, they will break (duh). So try this at home (or don't)... but with caution. I probably wouldn't do this with someone else's kids this age. I'm just brave with mine (but who the Hell knows why?) We like to live on the edge.

The iPad. And that time we made cookies.

This one time, I dropped my phone on the ground and cracked my screen. I begged Shannon to take it to get it fixed, and he did. 10 seconds after he pulled into the driveway, I dropped my iPad on the ground and shattered that screen. I cried, and sobbed and hated myself thoroughly. It's just an iPad. But man if I couldn't catch a break those 24 hours.

After a while, he got us a new one. I never really took pictures on the old iPad, but I have on this one and it got full, so I pulled the pictures off of it. There's something called a "Cloud," which as much as I understand technology and even made a career of it... I DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE DAMN CLOUD.

All of that aside, I realized there were some good ones when I cleaned this one off to make room for more "How It's Made," which Adam loves to watch before bed.

Mostly, I remembered that one time my phone died and I captured a whole afternoon where we made cookies together.

 

Adam wants to know when it's his turn again.

I HAVE SO ENJOYED BEING HOME WITH THEM. If you think I've overdone it with the pictures... Just wait until I finally organize all those videos I take.

Technology Purge of Pictures

I realized that I haven't imported my IMPORTANT phone pictures to this blog in SIX MONTHS. So here's a quick fly by of the last half-year. Think of your favorite montage music, put it in your head, and we'll catch up on about 2 inches of growth and some new hair styles.

scissors are fun.

The have to hug since they match.

little girl piggies.

girls trip in Sonoma, CA.

Me and Annie.

Me, Megan and Annie.

girl loves pink, pink, pink... dresses and sneakers (and boots).

I have two "baas." And I only share with Mommy. "Open wiiiiide...."

Max's birthday party.

Daddy lit the grill.

Date night: Ranger's game.

after the water park.

Back in September... if you stood them one on top of the other they would have been taller than me. They are MUCH taller now (3 months later).

with Grandpa.

love.

LOVES baby Wyatt.

He was sick and didn't want her to tell him to feel better.

"Mommy! Look at us!!"

Helping Mamie and I upholster chairs.

"I'm SUPERMAN!"

"Mommy I brought you a morning drink."

Caden's birthday party.

Crayon pumpkin.

Hummus girl.

He likes it when I stand on him.

Cleaning the mud off my cleats after a soccer game.

giggles.

Joy.

Pink hair for Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October).

Tinkerbell, Captain Hook, and Mr. Smee.

New matching "jammas"

Just after a raging fake tantrum.

The ice cream is in the same aisle as the water at Costco so I told her to close her eyes. Colin has his eyes on the prize.

On the train in Palestine/Rusk.

Sisters.

November grill out.

They didn't like the lunch I made.

"Mommy Look! It's a RAINBOW!"

They ran into Santa at the mall. Adam introduced them and Claire gave him a hug. Colin wanted nothing to do with him.

Colin's turning on some Frozen soundtrack music on the iPad and Claire's reading 211 Things a Clever Girl Can Do.

She goes nuts in the produce aisle...

...while the boys fight over some Little Debbie cakes.

He's a shark.

Making cookies.

Thanksgiving feast.

when mom asks you to clear the table and you aren't tall enough to reach the sink... "Made a mess."

Lunch Date with mom.

I lost my lunch date to technology.

Getting read for Thanksgiving dinner.

Playing tball with Papa.

Justin Timberlake concert with Sarah.

at the vet.

I'm sitting on the couch trying to wrestle Colin into his clothes while Claire is on the floor saying, "Mommy? Mommy. MOMMY. MOOOOMMMMY! I need to talk to you!! ...... It's me. Claire."

And when I ask what's up she just grins at me like this.

"Look, I'm Mommy!"

Goodness things change so quickly.