First day of Kids Day Inn

Maddox's first day of Kids day Inn/Mom's day out was last Friday. As you can see he clearly does not want his picture taken for this momentous event. He has been talking about school and acted so excited to take his new Spiderman backpack and lunchbox that I was hoping he would have a good time. At Meet your teacher day the week before, he was excited to go play with the animals and color. I prepared his teacher for the worst, explaining that we still have a rough time dropping off for church on the weekends. Mrs. Downing had been Jackson's teacher at 2 and he absolutly loved her. She met Maddox at the door with open arms and luckily, no tears at all!!

After MAPS that morning I found it very strange leaving the church that day with only Ava in tow. Is this what it was like with only one child?? I had forgotten. This was a piece of cake. We went and picked up Jackson, had a fun lunch at Mcdonalds, some ice cream at Cold Stone and then back to pick up the goobley at 1:30.

Mrs Downing said there were some times with tears, but overall, he did ok. Hopefully next week and each week after will get better for my sweet strong-willed 2 year old and someday, close to the end of the school year, he may actully enjoy his time at KDI.

My merry maids

The kiddos and i are having company tonight for dinner while my sweet husband is out of town on business. We all know what this means. Clean-up!!! I am not an everyday cleaner, that would be impossible and frustrating with the 3 little monsters, I guess i would classify myself as more of an everyday picker-upper??? Let me rephrase that. Constant picker-upper!! It seems like the monkeys run through the house in a whirlwind, dragging whatever it is in their hands strung on the floor and leaving a semi-neat room in utter disarray in a matter of seconds. Ava is at the stage of throwing food everywhere off of her tray the second she decides she is done. The area around her high chair is something that gets swept 3 times daily and cleaned (with solutions) every other day. She is the messy-mess, as I call her.

Any -hoo, company is coming. which means giving the false impression that the house is spotless always. Today, the boys joined in on the project. sticky fingers and hands are always leaving little markers on our kitchen chairs. Jackson and Maddox were to spray the chairs down and wipe away their foodies. This led to a song, written by Jackson, called "clean-up is fun". We were all singing and scrubbing the kitchen clean and hopefully making good habits of my handsomes.








Soon, the boys began fighting over who sprays and who gets to wipe. Apparently it is funner to spray than wipe away. On this beautiful 70 degree day they were whooshed outside to play while i finished up.
At least I managed some help for a few minutes, and I think a new song which we will sing at clean-up times. Just regular Disney day!!! Zipp-a-dee-do-dah!

Funnies

As challenging as it is to be the parent of a 2 year old, some days it is also the most hilarious, laugh yourself silly time that I love so much.

Maddox is just a regular comedian right now!!! I walk into the toy room sniffing "the odor". I say aloud, "who's poopy?" My 2 year old responds, "nope. No stinky, yucky mom." He then turns around, pulls open the back of his diaper to check himself and says,"no yucky mom". Maddox walks up to Ava and smells her bottom and exclaims, "It sissy stinky, yucky!!" I just have to laugh at all of this because I have never seen a 2 year old check himself for dirty pants and then check someone else to investigate the problem! So funny, my little sweet goobley.

A random thing that made me smile today~ On the way home from taking Jackson to school this morning I saw 2 horses kissing. Truly, lip to lip!! Now, not knowing anything about horses, I seriously doubt they were kissing...but I'd like to think so in my little dreamland were the sky is beautiful, birds are chirping, Disney movie where everything is perfect and no one ever gets sick.
I may need counseling....

Toofers, Passy's, and Silliness

Finally, our little princess' toofers have broken through! After many cranky and painful days and nights, 3 more teeth appeared through the gum line in Ava's tiny little mouth. One more on the bottom center, and 2 center top ones. No wonder she was such a cranker puss, those teeth were hurting my baby princess! Now maybe we'll be good for awhile...



Maddox, as most of us know is obsessed with the "piderman"!! He found a spiderman stocking cap and 1 lone glove laying around in their bedroom. He comes to me, both in hand, and says, "Mom, Mom. Put on!" For the last hour and a half he has been wearing this spiderman/Michael Jackson 1 glove get-up, looking ooberly
cute-o!!

Every now and then I go for a passy-hunt, looking for all of the randomly thrown pacifiers that have been strewn around the
house to be kicked and hidden under furniture, in couch cushions, and in any nook and cranny that can be discovered. While searching the basement, I placed sissy's passy's in a small pile on the table. After collecting, I found Ava on the floor, amidst them all, choosing just the right one to pass the time!!!

My Sweet Boy

I have spent so much time talking about Ava's birthday and Jackson going to kindergarten, I thought it was time to share a little about how big my sweet goobley has become. He has asked about Jackson each day after we drop him off at school. "Where Dackon mommy? He chool?". Today, after dropping off my sweet big boy, the babies and I went out shopping to do some exchanges and kill some time before being back at the elementary school in 3 hours. He was such a big boy today. Staying beside the cart, not complaining while riding in the stroller, and talking up a storm. When we all go shopping together, it seems like he wants to be like brother and walk, not ride in the stroller with lil sis. Today, with all of the Little Einstein's characters accompanying us, he was on such good behavior and asking such questions, all of which I could understand!! He grew up overnight! I kept telling him over and over how proud mommy was of him and what a big boy he was to be so kind and let mommy shop. I could almost see the proud little grin in his eyes saying, "I am a big boy like my brother". I feel as if these positive affirmations and uplifting words are making such a difference in his demeanor, language, and overall behavior. All my babies are growing up! I have always said that every age is my favorite; always the most rewarding. But I am so proud of my sweet Maddox and how far he has come, turning into quite the little man.
If you are wondering, each day is getting better for me. Although I find my heart break each day a little more watching Jackson's backpack disappear behind the glass doors of the school, I am thankful to spend the time with my 2 other babies and help them grow into the wonderful little people that their brother is. I cannot say enough how much I love all my babies and how I want to freeze time and make them stay little forever; Even though I know that isn't quite possible, I am trying to soak up every minute of their sweetness and to never let them forget how much they mean to their mommy.

Why does he have to grow up???

I should've known today was going to be bad when I began crying over the Wal-mart commercial for school supplies. But today was so much harder than I thought it would be. Harder admitting that everyday from now, I will be taking my baby somewhere to let someone else teach him how to become better, smarter, kinder and all the things that I have worked hard at teaching him. He still needs me right???

Walking away from the school out to the car, Maddox yelling and wailing,"I want Jackson!! I want Jackson!!!", the big tear began to fall. Wasn't 10 minutes long enough for them to have him? Couldn't he come back home and be my baby again?? I need him!! I cannot stand it. I'm still teary eyed over the whole traumatizing experience. I'm crying right now! I'm sure I'll cry tomorrow and next Monday and Tuesday and all of the days to follow. But it has become evident that my handsome big boy now was very big and attending big school. Away from mommy...let me wail now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Princess Birthday