Tonight since it was such a pretty day and I had the kids alone and I have decided to try to get a little more exercise in at night as well, I decided we should all go on a walk after dinner. Surprise, surprise, Evan didn't want to.
Chloe gleefully went into the stroller and Evan whined. Finally I convinced him to ride his big wheel around the block. It was quite interesting attempting to push both the stroller and the big wheel up hills at the same time, but I made it. Good lower body exercise.
So, after the first lap I started right on in for the second. Evan rebelled. He whined and complained and every two seconds something else hurt on his body. I told him he could either get off and walk, ride without complaining, or we would just go home and he could go straight to bed. We went a little further and he continued the same pattern finally stopping and saying he could not go any further.
I told him to just turn around and go home and...
I was going to say "we'll take a bath and you can come back down and watch TV for a while while I put Chloe to bed.", but I never got it out.
Evan lost it. He started crying and pushing that big wheel up the hill with his feet as fast as he could away from me because he thought I was going to say "go to bed."
I was trying to chase after him, but every time I would try to talk or get nearer to him he would freak out again and he was surprisingly quick on that thing. Especially for someone who was completely unable to move on his own power when not going downhill only a few seconds earlier.
Finally I caught up with him and bent down and looked him right in the eyes and said, "Hush all that crying. I said you could take a bath and come back downstairs. Isn't that what you wanted?"
At this point he promptly stopped crying and then said, "Why didn't you just say that?"
I said, "I tried, but you wouldn't listen."
He said, "Next time you need to speak louder, more slowly, and clearly so that I can understand you." Enunciating each word very deliberately and carefully as if I were hard of hearing.
Oh, so that was the problem, huh? I'll have to remember that. Louder, more slowly, and clearly. Got it.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Tough Guy
After multiple warnings to not fall off the bed to my two children who are rolling around on the bed, I just watched Evan fall right off and land with a thud on the floor.
He immediately, I mean quicker than I could gasp, jumped up and yelled, "I just fell off the bed and I didn't even cry! I fell hard, thud, and scraped my knee and didn't cry at all! Isn't that AMAZING?!"
His voice was getting higher and higher pitched and louder the whole way through the above speech so that at the end he sounded slightly hysterical.
I had to choke back laughter as I congratulated my brave boy standing there with a big forced grin on his face, trying so hard to keep it together that he kind of reminded me of the Joker.. slightly crazy.
It's a step in the right direction, though, so I'll take it.
He said his teacher would be so proud of him.
By the way, this makes the third time I have "let" him fall off the bed in his lifetime. The other two were while changing diapers when he was a baby. Once he fell right on top of me as I was down on my hands and knees looking for his paci that he had dropped. I have "let" Chloe fall once (see I have gotten better), just the other day. My standard response is: "Sh__!" Which I almost NEVER say. But, you'll be glad to know that I did not let it slip tonight. Another sure sign that I'm improving as a mother.
I will be practically perfect by the time the third one comes along;). Just kidding, Matthew still says no.
On a different note, I tried to snuggle up to him on the couch earlier while he was watching Wolverine and he kind of just looked over at me and then whispered, "Can I watch this alone, please?"
Well, um, sure, I guess.
I'm not sure I'm ready for this!
He immediately, I mean quicker than I could gasp, jumped up and yelled, "I just fell off the bed and I didn't even cry! I fell hard, thud, and scraped my knee and didn't cry at all! Isn't that AMAZING?!"
His voice was getting higher and higher pitched and louder the whole way through the above speech so that at the end he sounded slightly hysterical.
I had to choke back laughter as I congratulated my brave boy standing there with a big forced grin on his face, trying so hard to keep it together that he kind of reminded me of the Joker.. slightly crazy.
It's a step in the right direction, though, so I'll take it.
He said his teacher would be so proud of him.
By the way, this makes the third time I have "let" him fall off the bed in his lifetime. The other two were while changing diapers when he was a baby. Once he fell right on top of me as I was down on my hands and knees looking for his paci that he had dropped. I have "let" Chloe fall once (see I have gotten better), just the other day. My standard response is: "Sh__!" Which I almost NEVER say. But, you'll be glad to know that I did not let it slip tonight. Another sure sign that I'm improving as a mother.
I will be practically perfect by the time the third one comes along;). Just kidding, Matthew still says no.
On a different note, I tried to snuggle up to him on the couch earlier while he was watching Wolverine and he kind of just looked over at me and then whispered, "Can I watch this alone, please?"
Well, um, sure, I guess.
I'm not sure I'm ready for this!
Sisterly Love
Monday morning Evan was having a little trouble getting going. Understandable considering the time change and all. Matthew was attempting to get him dressed and Evan was whining nonstop about not wanting to get up, not wanting to go to school, not wanting to put his clothes on, etc.
I was changing Chloe's diaper on the bed and she was listening to all of this.
Suddenly she pulled her paci out of her mouth, held it out to Evan and said, "You need a paci, bubba?"
Even Evan got the humor in the situation and looked slightly embarrassed about his obviously "babyish" behavior.
So funny!
I was changing Chloe's diaper on the bed and she was listening to all of this.
Suddenly she pulled her paci out of her mouth, held it out to Evan and said, "You need a paci, bubba?"
Even Evan got the humor in the situation and looked slightly embarrassed about his obviously "babyish" behavior.
So funny!
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Keep the Good Ones
The other day Matthew took the day off work and after he took our car to be maintenanced, he picked Evan up early from school. They went to a movie and ate lunch and Evan picked out a toy from Wal-Mart. It should have been a perfect day.
But, being a parent is not always easy. And Evan for some unknown reason, ended their day together by saying something very hurtful to Matthew.
What should have been a perfect day changed into a difficult father/son day. I'm sure there will be more of those to come, unfortunately.
But, after it was all said and done and Evan apologized, the tides changed again. And I'm certain that what I will actually remember from that day is not the hurt and anger, but this:
The laughter. The playfulness. The fun.
But, being a parent is not always easy. And Evan for some unknown reason, ended their day together by saying something very hurtful to Matthew.
What should have been a perfect day changed into a difficult father/son day. I'm sure there will be more of those to come, unfortunately.
But, after it was all said and done and Evan apologized, the tides changed again. And I'm certain that what I will actually remember from that day is not the hurt and anger, but this:
The laughter. The playfulness. The fun.The good memories.
I'm going to keep the good ones.
Great
This morning when I got ready to go to church I put my red sweater on.
It was a struggle to get there this morning. There was the time change, the rain.
Matthew was kind of wanting to skip (and eat at Cracker Barrel instead).
Evan pitched a fit about his shirt because it had a collar and buttons and said he didn't want to go.
Chloe even rebelled on me when I told her we would see Granddaddy at church not at his house. I got an Awwww! from her.
I was pretty frustrated with my family, just to be honest. Getting kids to church is hard. It's a lot of work. Putting up with the arguments and fits and temper tantrums as we rush to get ready is hard. And when you make it to church (usually late), it is hard again. My kids have never been "nursery" kids and although Evan is old enough to go to Children's Church now he often says he doesn't want to. So, I miss half the service trying to keep them quiet (and fed because there is something about church which brings out a voracious appetite). Each time Chloe speaks, Matthew's blood pressure rises higher. She is at the age where you cannot convince her to be quiet and whisper. It's hard. And especially on days when Matthew isn't really in the mood to be helpful (because he is agreeing with them), it would be so much easier just to say, "OK! Fine! Enough already! You win." and let peace be restored to the family. And I would say that is the main reason that our attendance in church since Evan was born has been inconsistent at best. The only problem is that peace is not restored to my heart. Because I feel guilty. I feel like a lousy mother. I feel like I am breaking a promise to God that I made when I begged for Him to bless me with healthy children.
This morning was one of those hard mornings. And I was near tears by the time we pulled out of the driveway (late) with Evan whining about not wanting to go. But we were going. All of us. And I had my red sweater on.
It was spitting rain when we arrived at church and I ran on up to the doors with Chloe while Matthew got Evan out of the car. As we got to the doors of the church I could hear the hymn being sung (since we were late). How Great Thou Art.
And as Matthew and Evan joined me and we entered, my heart ached. We disturbed everyone and crowded into the pew. My heart throbbed. The man behind me handed me a hymnal turned to the right page. I looked down at the blurry words on the page and a tear hit the book.
"Then sings my soul, my Savior God to thee. How great thou art, how great thou art."
The tears streamed down my face now.
"When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation,
and take me home, what joy shall fill my heart.
Then I shall bow, in humble adoration,
And then proclaim:"My God how great thou art!""
One of my Grandmother's favorite hymns. I remember her telling me it was her favorite one night at church. I remember the sound of her voice singing it.
And here I was singing it this morning in my red sweater. Beside my family. Beside my Granddaddy in his red tie. Beside my daughter whom she never met in her red dress. Here we were singing, How Great Thou Art this morning.
And she was missing. It's been two years today since she's been with us. Our souls sang "How Great Thou Art" and we believed it. But, our hearts ached for her.
I don't think the song was sung on purpose. But, it was perfect. And I was glad that I made the effort to get my family to church that morning as she had always tried to do.
And after the song was over I wondered if it had been as much of a struggle for her when her children were young as it is for me sometimes. And I wished I could ask her about it.
I miss you today, Grandmother. But I'm so glad you can now sing in the presence of God.
On a positive note, Chloe had to be removed to the nursery when the sermon began. But to our amazement, she stayed without Granddaddy and she played happily (Matthew kept peeking around the corner to check) and never even got upset. I am amazed. It must be a miracle, but if it will continue it could make a world of difference in our church experience.
It was a struggle to get there this morning. There was the time change, the rain.
Matthew was kind of wanting to skip (and eat at Cracker Barrel instead).
Evan pitched a fit about his shirt because it had a collar and buttons and said he didn't want to go.
Chloe even rebelled on me when I told her we would see Granddaddy at church not at his house. I got an Awwww! from her.
I was pretty frustrated with my family, just to be honest. Getting kids to church is hard. It's a lot of work. Putting up with the arguments and fits and temper tantrums as we rush to get ready is hard. And when you make it to church (usually late), it is hard again. My kids have never been "nursery" kids and although Evan is old enough to go to Children's Church now he often says he doesn't want to. So, I miss half the service trying to keep them quiet (and fed because there is something about church which brings out a voracious appetite). Each time Chloe speaks, Matthew's blood pressure rises higher. She is at the age where you cannot convince her to be quiet and whisper. It's hard. And especially on days when Matthew isn't really in the mood to be helpful (because he is agreeing with them), it would be so much easier just to say, "OK! Fine! Enough already! You win." and let peace be restored to the family. And I would say that is the main reason that our attendance in church since Evan was born has been inconsistent at best. The only problem is that peace is not restored to my heart. Because I feel guilty. I feel like a lousy mother. I feel like I am breaking a promise to God that I made when I begged for Him to bless me with healthy children.
This morning was one of those hard mornings. And I was near tears by the time we pulled out of the driveway (late) with Evan whining about not wanting to go. But we were going. All of us. And I had my red sweater on.
It was spitting rain when we arrived at church and I ran on up to the doors with Chloe while Matthew got Evan out of the car. As we got to the doors of the church I could hear the hymn being sung (since we were late). How Great Thou Art.
And as Matthew and Evan joined me and we entered, my heart ached. We disturbed everyone and crowded into the pew. My heart throbbed. The man behind me handed me a hymnal turned to the right page. I looked down at the blurry words on the page and a tear hit the book.
"Then sings my soul, my Savior God to thee. How great thou art, how great thou art."
The tears streamed down my face now.
"When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation,
and take me home, what joy shall fill my heart.
Then I shall bow, in humble adoration,
And then proclaim:"My God how great thou art!""
One of my Grandmother's favorite hymns. I remember her telling me it was her favorite one night at church. I remember the sound of her voice singing it.
And here I was singing it this morning in my red sweater. Beside my family. Beside my Granddaddy in his red tie. Beside my daughter whom she never met in her red dress. Here we were singing, How Great Thou Art this morning.
And she was missing. It's been two years today since she's been with us. Our souls sang "How Great Thou Art" and we believed it. But, our hearts ached for her.
I don't think the song was sung on purpose. But, it was perfect. And I was glad that I made the effort to get my family to church that morning as she had always tried to do.
And after the song was over I wondered if it had been as much of a struggle for her when her children were young as it is for me sometimes. And I wished I could ask her about it.
I miss you today, Grandmother. But I'm so glad you can now sing in the presence of God.
On a positive note, Chloe had to be removed to the nursery when the sermon began. But to our amazement, she stayed without Granddaddy and she played happily (Matthew kept peeking around the corner to check) and never even got upset. I am amazed. It must be a miracle, but if it will continue it could make a world of difference in our church experience.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Painful Lessons
Poor Chloe, her stubbornness has caused her some pain lately. Yesterday she fell while climbing in and out of her booster seat for the millionth time (with me telling her not to for the millionth time) and hit her head. Fortunately, her head is obviously hard so she was fine. Unfortunately that hard head caused her to go right back at it as soon as the tears were dry.
Tonight she was in the bed watching cartoons and I was lounging beside her catching up on my blog reading. She would not be still! She kept standing up and rolling around and getting dangerously close to the edge. All of which was seriously interrupting my blog reading. She rolled dangerously close to the edge once again and I grabbed her and pulled her back much to her dismay. To pay me back as soon as I let go of her she lurched away from me with all her might and went right off the bed, hitting her chin on the nightstand on the way down. There was quite a bit of blood. She bit her tongue. There were quite a few tears. I got her a Popsicle. (That is the cure all for mouth injuries). At first she wouldn't even try the Popsicle because her mouth hurt. But, finally she timidly took a little lick and then she looked at me with a little smile and a big sigh and said, "I feel better now".
I'm so glad.
Tonight she was in the bed watching cartoons and I was lounging beside her catching up on my blog reading. She would not be still! She kept standing up and rolling around and getting dangerously close to the edge. All of which was seriously interrupting my blog reading. She rolled dangerously close to the edge once again and I grabbed her and pulled her back much to her dismay. To pay me back as soon as I let go of her she lurched away from me with all her might and went right off the bed, hitting her chin on the nightstand on the way down. There was quite a bit of blood. She bit her tongue. There were quite a few tears. I got her a Popsicle. (That is the cure all for mouth injuries). At first she wouldn't even try the Popsicle because her mouth hurt. But, finally she timidly took a little lick and then she looked at me with a little smile and a big sigh and said, "I feel better now".
I'm so glad.
Random quote of the day: "One-eyed Willie?! Holy cow! If it were me, I'd have to be a two-eyed Willie because I'm not wearing a patch!" ---Evan Tinker, in response to a line from the classic movie, The Goonies.
Yes, I told Matthew it has some inappropriate parts in it. He promised to "edit" them. It is free on On Demand. You know you want to watch it! It brings back so many wonderful childhood memories!
Who Am I?
I am Batgirl!
Batman finally has a worthy sidekick! He's been waiting for this. Unfortunately she doesn't listen very well.
Batman finally has a worthy sidekick! He's been waiting for this. Unfortunately she doesn't listen very well.
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