In Toddler News | Part 33

Thirty Three.

From babies to big kids overnight, these two.  I mean.  Those faces.  

Jolie told me the other day after getting her dressed "I don't whike it." referring to the overalls I had dressed her in.  Parker didn't mind the overalls, but insisted on a pony tail when I was doing her hair and then decided on the bow she wanted - over the one I had originally picked out.  

Picking out their own clothes?!

Knowing how they want to do their hair?! 

Making their own decisions for what they like or dislike.. and surely not without all the sass.  

Lord help me when they are 16 years old. 

 We have had to child-proof the house AGAIN.  Opening cabinets, doors, drawers.. turning on lights and getting soaked from head to toe after turning on the bath water.  Not to mention we should probably raise the knobs on the pantry door - I've found a couple of mischievous little girls with a pile of red sprinkles in their laps and in the next moment I'm sweeping an entire $8 bag of quinoa spilt out on to the floor.

"Mama, you sweep?!"  

Yes.  I sweep.  

 When did the outlet covers and cabinet locks stop being enough to keep them out of trouble?   

toddler t a l k s

Over this last month I have seen such tremendous change in the both of them - they are growing in maturity at lightning speed.  The sentences and words they share amongst each other as well as with me and their daddy..

After coming in from a couple hours a the pool, Jolie declares: "Mama.  I want to build sand castles. Take me to the beach."

Jolie making an unsuccessful attempt to climb into Jordan's truck, "Dadda help me.  I too little."

While chasing each other around the living room and through the kitchen, "I getchu me!"

..still chasing each other through the house "six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, seventeen, eighteen, twenty.."

..more running.. and Parker yell-singing at the top of her lungs "Mama!  I sing little star!"

As we walked up to the front doors of preschool, "Mama!  I play with friends!"

Playing with her food at dinner, Parker sticks rigatoni noodles over her fingers.. 

"Eat your dinner.  NOW, Parker." Holding up her rigatoni fingers: "Which one, dadda?  This one?! OKAY!"

The sweetness goes on.  I can hardly handle my composure most days when they are misbehaving and its just so darn cute.  The conversation are becoming more structured and much less of those confusing I'll-take-a-guess-at-what-you-are-saying and pray it doesn't result in a tantrum.

s c h o o l days

One word.  Amazing.  Okay, another word.. impressed!  I am so impressed with how well they have done with this whole 'school' thing.  They have zero problem getting up and at'em after we tell them that its a school day and they get to see their friends and teacher again.  They have the best time carrying their backpack and helping me pack their lunches.  We are in week II of school and already they are coming home and singing songs and reciting words and activities they did that day during school.  They are adapting well to being with other kiddos for most of the day, and I am so thankful! Outside of Sunday morning church, they arent used to being  in that kind of structure.. let alone for 5 whole hours!  Their teachers have been amazing and I know that helps in this transition, too.  I could take pictures of them every single morning because they are just too darn cute for words.. and eventually I'll get over that, but from now until senior year of high school I will be taking pictures of these girls ever morning.

kidding.

sort of:)
UPDATED: We bought these sneakers (Nike KidsFlex 2015 Run) for the girls to wear to school and love them!!  They don't have laces and after playing outside in them over the weekend I tossed them into the wash and they came out as white as new:)

Physically this age is exhausting.  I am positive this exhaustion is a combination of their life stage and having a newborn to care for with the same two hands that need me to take them potty, make them lunch, put on their shoes, build a princess castle and mend a boo-boo when it needs it.  The crocodile tears appear a handful of times a day- I'll tell you what..the emotional pendulum of a toddler swings wide.  Either the walls of their world are crumbling down around them, or they are at the top of the world, running around like banshees showing off their gapped tooth smile with such joy.  My patience has been tested in more ways than ever this last month and I try so hard to keep my head calm and collected when really I just want to cry because they are crying that they both want me to carrying them three steps to the couch so we can sit down to watch a movie..and if I don't the world has come to an end.  

Crocodile tears, I tell you.

These girls are the very best friends and the very best enemies.  They go from playing together to all out hair-pulling hand-slapping over who knows what.  Again - patience has been my greatest feat in this role as a mother of three under three. 

s l e e p

Parker has been having the hardest time with sleep. Its been a battle over the last several months, even before Baker's arrival, with her to sleep through the night - and she has yet to have a solid night's rest.  If she isn't up tapping me on the face for some chocolate milk at 1am, she's hollering from her room at 3am asking for a 'sugar' and then found asleep at the foot of our bed at 4am. Other nights she is awake still at midnight (after being in bed about 8-8:30pm) just laying in her bed.. talking to herself, singing, playing with her wubby, and I can only think that she's dreaming up the 'next big thing'.  Up and down multiple times a night - and some nights are definitely better than others, but mostly she sleeps terribly and I hate it for her.  We visit the pedi for Baker soon, and I plan to ask Dr. B what she thinks about all this and what could be causing it because me and her daddy are at a complete loss.

Jolie does well in sleeping through these nighttime shenanigans- she's always been an amazing sleeper.  Naps are still a necessity for her - she tells me she's tired and will go lay down on her own.  Parker, however, skips nap more than she takes it.  Even on her worst night's sleep she occasionally wont nap during the day.  Nap time is consistently on a daily basis from 11:30am-12pm to about 3pm and for the most part we stick to it.  I feel like dropping naps are on the horizon, b u t definitely not just yet.

e a t s 

Food is everything and nothing to these girls.  One moment they are ravenous and starving and asking for food all day and the next moment they won't hardly touch a thing. 

Foodie favorites these days include: whole almonds, cutie oranges, pizza.. Jolie asks for pizza every single meal..'Dadda Toast' (English muffins with butter), watermelon, and most recently bananas.  Parker asks for a banana about 3 times a day.   

b i g sisters

Parker and Jolie continue to be amazing big sisters.  They are right in the middle of anything having to do with Baker - and not in such a way that is screaming 'pay attention to me and not the baby'.. but more to be included in all this newness of having a real baby around that mommy has to take care of.  They want to take care of her, too!  I am still in awe every single day of how much these girls have grown up in just 8 short weeks.  They love Baker as much as they love each other, and I cannot wait for them to be at an age together when they will share that unbreakable sister bond between the three of them.

My growing girls.  My heart breaks to watch them become another day, another week, another month older- but then again, the new characteristics and change that occurs in these fleeting days brings new joys, so much mama pride and side splitting laughter. 

Their sweet every-changing faces are everything to me.

Love them.

p h o t o dump

donuts on everyday that ends in 'y'.

picnic in our panties.  If we have no plans to leave the house that day, we usually end up in our jams and panties for most of the day.

 We've been spending a TON of time with friends this last month.  Maternity leave is amazing. Not just for my time with Baker, but my time with Parker and Jolie as well.  We have made plans nearly every week to hang out with some of our favorite people and P+J have loved it!  

Not to mention, the time I get to spend with these littles mamas.

Parker + Mackenzie + Jolie

 Breakfast of champions.  Breaking bread first thing in the morning is my kind of fellowship.. even if bread is actually a donut:)

 Movie night + jammies with the Cornwell kiddos 

 Pizza.. and movies on the iPhone while we wait for our pies.

Parker + Jolie + Blake

a successful end to week I called for a yogurt break after school! 

Jolie had strawberry and vanilla and Parker had 'chocolate milk'.

According to Parker, every brown food is 'chocolate milk'.

SO excited to go to school!  The neighbors were pulling out of their driveway and Jolie was curious where they were going.. and if they were going to school too?

Parker ordered. Jolie prepared - pizza in a skillet is on the menu.

bubble baths are still our favorite. We almost cannot get into the bath without bubbles.

real life.

Real life is what we do best around here.. and for the last 33 months its been the best and hardest 'real life', but I wouldn't change a single thing.