Car Troubles

The title of this post should be “Back seat drivers and bring your daughters to work day”.

Back Seat Drivers
One of the games that we play in the car (to and from work) is a version of red light, green light. Kendall has been very interested in determining what the color of each traffic light means. Unfortunately for me, she is getting very good at this. On Monday as I was driving the girls to Rebecca’s, one of the traffic lights I was passing through mysteriously turned yellow and then suddenly red. Yikes! Kendall yells “Mommy you have to stop - red light. Why did you go?” How do I explain that one?

Bring Your Daughters to Work Day
To top it off, this morning on my way to work the girls were being SO quiet and the music on the radio was exceptionally good. As I turned onto the street to go to my office building, it dawned on me that I had not dropped the girls off. DOH! I turned around to look and sure enough there they were, sitting quietly in the backseat. Can you say “U-turn”?

Little Fashionista's

Kendall has been really interested in picking out her own clothes for awhile now. Now Sidney has joined the club. Her particular interest? SHOES. Just like Aunt Stephie, Sidney seems to have an obsession with shoes. Her particular interest...very large shoes...

Kendall came down stairs this morning dressed and ready to go. She said she needed her coat so she could go outside and play with the dogs. Keep in mind that it was only 7:30 in the morning. After her little adventure, she came back in and remarked that "it is very cold outside" (duh)

Last night my friend Bridget came over for dinner and stamping. Lately, Kendall has been joining us to make her own creations. Bridget remarked on how resourceful she is. Boy she has no idea just how resourceful little Miss Kendall is. Here is a shot of her the other day as I came into the kitchen. Apparently she needed a glass of water. YIKES!

Thankful

There is a lot I am thankful for, but in particular I am thankful for Rebecca. For those who do not know, she is the "wonder woman" who takes care of my children each and every day while I go off to work. I honestly do not think she has ever read this blog (and only vaguely knows about it). But we have truly been blessed to have her entire family in our lives.

Before we adopted Kendall, I used to watch her with her own child (she had only one at the time). So when we were on the adoption list, I asked if she would consider watching our new baby. After much prayer and consideration, she said yes. By the time Kendall was born, she had her second child and a third on the way. WOW! But she was willing to give it a shot.

Kendall was 6 months old when baby Hannah was born. So Rebecca spent the next year taking care of the "twins" (Kendall and Hannah) along with the two boys. She certainly had her hands full. Then along came Sidney. We had other childcare planned for the girls after Sidney's arrival, but Rebecca's heart did not want to let them go. Seriously, can you imagine that??? So she gave it a go - and it worked.

She loves my children as if they were her own. They get experiences that they otherwise would not have. The other day they went to the park and flew kites. She teaches them preschool, takes them to the library, takes them to the home improvement store, to the park, to Eli's school programs, to the zoo, to ice cream sundaes at Elmers. Each of these activities are a feat in and of themselves. And this is only to name a few of the things they have done. A few posts back, you may remember that Kevin and I watched all five kids for one night and were exhausted. Yet she does this each and every day!

She is one of the most patient and loving people that I have ever met. Any time I have expressed this to her, she replies "there are many days when I am anything but loving and patient". I know there are days like that. But what I know most of all is that she is motivated by love. A love for my children. That is more than any mother can ask for.

May I have your autograph please?

We have a star among us! Kevin has been named the Middle School Athletic Director for the state of Idaho. What an awesome award! He has worked very hard and continues to do so every day. We are very proud of you Kevin - well deserved!

Separation anxiety...no more???

I am quite certain that this post is premature, but I am hopeful. Sidney has had a serious case of separation anxiety for the past four months. But, alas this week it seems to have lessened (a wee bit). Up to this point, the only two people that she has been comforted by are myself and Rebecca (childcare provider). However this week, I have snuck two workouts in while she sat calmly with Kevin. She even went straight to Kevin for comfort one day. Kevin swears "she will always be a momma's girl" when I feign hurt and sadness. The truth be told, it is a relief to have her warm up to others:) I am hoping this is the start of a new independence.

Sidney is also starting to find her voice. This morning she was saying "ruff, ruff" when asked what a doggy says. However, every body part is still her nose:) It is a lot of fun to hear her start talking. She has such a very sweet - CALM spirit.

Kendall had her first case of "I miss my mommy" in Sunday School today. She has been in Miss Paula's class for the last year and has loved it. But with the passing of her third birthday and her success in potty training, we decided to move her up to the preschool class. When I went to pick her up AFTER church, she was playing contently in Miss Paula's class...WHAT?!?!? Miss Aubrey (the new teacher) informed me that she was doing very well until they took a field trip to the "big room" for story time. Miss Aubrey said that she looked over and Kendall had silent tears streaming down her face. When asked, Kendall replied "I miss my mommy!". Sniff, sniff as I type this. So Miss Aubrey asked her if she wanted to go to Miss Paula's class for the rest of the morning. Kendall said "That would be good". We will try again next week. Miss Aubrey thinks she might have gotten a bit overwhelmed as there were a ton of kids today. Plus I had told Kendall that her friend Jacob would be in the new class today. Kendall's first words to me were "Jacob was not there, mommy". Darn it already, now I am a liar:) And. at church even. Sheesh!

Here is a picture of Kendall trying out her new bike. The tricky part is that every time she pushes backwards the brakes are engaged. This did not happen on the tricycle. She seems to be learning pretty quickly and enjoying every minute of it!

Our Quiet Time

Something that I have tried to do is spend a few minutes of alone time with each girl every day. Somedays this just does not happen, and other days it seems like a chore (bad mom!). But last night as I was in Kendall's room helping her do flashcards, I realized how good this time is for all of us. This realization came as I found myself REALLY laughing for the first time in several days. Not the soft chuckle that comes after a joke is told, but this was the kind of laugh that made my sides hurt.

Then a short while later, I was in Sidney's room and was more aware of how proud she was to show me that she could put the rings on her toy and get up on her rocking horse. She just kept looking at me and grinning ear to ear. For each accomplishment she would nod her head vigorously (she is a woman of very few words).

Now if I can only remember to cherish these special moments instead of occassionally being burdened by them. Here we G-R-O-W!

Small Afterthought...

Curious observation with regards to the picture of Sidney and her stuffed animal in the previouse post. As I was looking at the picture, I began to notice the stick legs behind her standing on the window seat. Yes, that is Kendall. I vaguely remember her outfitted in princess clothes, climbing up there and dancing around in circles. Oh to be a toddler again.

Baby Booties and Too Much Information

I am not referring to booties that go on your feet. I am referring to the booty that we are born with. The booty that for most humans under the age of three is accentuated by a diaper. So WHY do infant clothing makers forget this widely known fact??? Low rider jeans and skinny legs are just not going to work! We have finally found a brand that will accomodate little Sid's voluptuous curves. Thank you Walmart!

WARNING: For those with a weak stomach, the following paragraph should be skipped. Sidney's intestinal issues are finally over! WooHoo!!! Thank you to my dear friend that shall not be named in the interest of privacy (you know who you are...) for sharing your similar experience with us. Sidney has spent the last 5 months with a burnt butt. We are speaking of the chemical burn nature. After depriving her of dairy, bummer, for months and trying every diaper cream known to man, we put her on a round of probiotics. It was an overnight success. One week on the probiotics and now one full week off. Her bum is very happy indeed! Here she is taking in some water before bed time. Who is bigger the water bottle or Sidney?

Kevin wanted me to post the following picture from Kendall's birthday last weekend. She was very specific in that she wanted chocolate cupcakes with pink and purple frosting and sparkles. Did we nail it? She had a great time sprinkling the cupcakes. Grandma Terrell would be proud.

As for the after party, here she is in dress up clothes and bike helmet with a mouth full of candy. SWEET!

At Last...The Pony Ride

Here are the pictures from the girls first pony ride. As mentioned in an earlier post, this was at a costume birthday party they attended.

My sweet, sweet Kendall!

Happy Birthday my little girl. I cannot even begin to describe what you mean to us. You are one of the most precious little girls ever. It was three years ago that we brought you home from the hospital and our whole world changed. The time has flown by so fast.
I still recall your first night at home. We put you in a basinet in our room and you slept pretty soundly while your dad and I did not sleep a wink. We heard every squeaky sound and movement you made. The second night it was off to the crib for you.

You have brought so much joy to our lives. When life gets busy, I often question what I did with all of my time before we had you. The only answer I can come up with is that I wasted a heck of a lot of time.

You have grown up so much this year. What are some of the highlights?

1. You have learned to take a deep breath when you get upset (this is a big one that I have not even learned yet).
2. You tell excellent “knock-knock” jokes.
3. You do not wear diapers anymore (three cheers for Kendall)!
4. You care deeply for others – evidenced by your sleeping with the light on so Hannah would not be scared.
5. You give the best butterfly kisses.
6. You help mommy take care of “Sidilicious”.
7. You learned to feed your doggies – and love it!
8. You have had some of your first sleepovers with friends – this one makes mommy “happy – sad” if there is such a thing.
9. You will talk to anyone and everyone that will listen.
10. You make me laugh – and I mean REALLY laugh. I have no idea where you come up with some of the stuff you do and say.

My little lady, you are something. I thank God for every tiny bit of you. Happy Birthday!