Being in the middle is rough sometimes...

The Middle Kid Syndrome...I'm not sure if it's really a syndrome or not...although I can't REALLY intelligently speak of it since I'm a firstborn. Not a lot of people put stock into the whole Birth Order philosophy...but, I can't really deny some key points from it. After all, my husband is the baby of his family...and I will admit that coming from having all younger siblings, entering into a family of all older siblings that were in different seasons of life than us...Well, that took some getting used to...

All that to say...I'm watching my 3 daughters...my eldest definitely has those first child personality traits. She's the worrier, the mothering type, the one that hates to fail and tends to be perfectionistic in even the littlest of areas...My baby is a typical baby...well, she IS a baby right now, but even so, she's the one that likes to get us to laugh, she's been the easiest of sleepers, the carefree one...

Then comes my middle girl...she's my adventurous one, the "it's okay, Mom", the pick herself up and brush off so she can keep going, the bull in the china shop...but she's also at an age where her baby sister gets a LOT of attention because she has to....and her older sister is doing all this new stuff, like soccer or school or piano lessons...and she's just gotta sit there and watch. Granted, she is her BIGGEST cheerleader...always wanting to clap or say "great job"...but you can tell that she sooooooooo wants to get in there herself...

It happened at soccer practice last night. They let her join in the drills, but when it came time for the scrimmage, she had to step out and her heart broke...the tears came in buckets...She had been holding it in as best she could, because she HAD been warned...but when the time came...her little 4 year old heart couldn't take it...

I don't know...I think building character in our children is alot easier SAID than DONE...My heart doesn't do so well with it either...and yet, I look at my Middle Brother...I have to admit, he's smarter, well rounded, laidback and takes life as it comes...so maybe all the "character building" of watching me go first did him some good...just not sure how my Mom handled it at the time...

Sugar Highs with Friends

It's not often that I get out...just me...let me rephrase...me without the girls...It's not anyone's fault but my own. I think I either have the "guilties" if I'm away OR I just have too much stuff to accomplish, OR I'm just too plain tired...

But...there are those rare moments, that I get up the gumption and force a friend or two to join me. Nothing huge...my favorite thing to do in the evenings, when everyone else has gone to bed...is make that Barnes 'n Noble run...just to sit there with all those books and magazines and sip a latte...oh, it's just a bit of heaven.

I have one friend who, when I am with, we can easily sit in the same room and "visit" by exchanging novels that we've each recommended and READ...my husband doesn't count that as visiting, but she and I have a blast...it's just the way we are wired...

Tonight, another fantastic friend of mine, who is due with baby #3 any day, agreed to join me on this evening adventure...let's just say that after Cheesecake Factory slices and a starbucks coffee...we were on massive sugar highs.

We stopped first at the mall in order to get in some quick returns and then head over to BnN...I think the people we encountered thought we were nuts...it's as if our mouths couldn't stop talking...we struck up conversations with everyone and spoke LOUDLY. My friend commented through our stops that we kept getting things "free"...like a free shipping card from TCP, or the hot fudge cheesecakes or the deal at Barnes n Noble...the more I thought about it...I'm sure those poor people were just trying to passify us and get us out of their store quickly!

By the time we got to Barnes n Noble, we had already hit the restrooms a couple of times and kept spotting silly magazines or the EVER lovely SCHOOL BOOKS...I think the phrase is, "Once a teacher, always a teacher..." We were stuck in that school supply area until closing!

There is absolutely no point to this blog entry except to write about a great time that I had with a great friend tonight...I apologize for the lack of excitement or humor...BUT, I had a fun evening...I plan to try to make it happen more often...

Sisters

You'd think with the AMOUNT of pictures that I take, I wouldn't feel like I have a moment undocumented. My camera is at my hip many times throughout the day, whether it be for "planned" special moments or for just ordinary life...but, there are times that we just ARE...no cameras, no video...just BEing...

And yet, inevitably, 1 hour afterwards, I am wishing I had a mounted camera in my house that could just capture our lives 24/7. My girls crack me up...they come up with sometimes, the silliest, yet creative, ways of play. I've learned to act like I'm not listening so that they will continue their dialogue...once I listen in, they start giggling and stop...so I just go about my business and "eavesdrop" while pretending that I'm engrossed in washing dishes or cleaning the floor.

I wish i had a video or picture of them playing today...I can't even write out the "play" they were performing because it wouldn't do it justice...they were just being sisters...not just sisters, they were friends...the way they talked, interacted, played...they know each other so well...sometimes this is bad because they know how to "push the other's buttons"...but most of the time, they "get" each other...and I love it.

I am humbled by their love for each other, the way the forgive so quickly...We just finished a chapter book entitled Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary. I read it when I was little and I thought I'd read it to them...we got a kick out of Ramona's behavior towards her older sister. Ramona is quite the pest and I'm amazed at Beezus's patience with her...but, it definitely made my girls appreciate each other a bit more.

Don't be fooled though...my girls fight, tease and exasperate each other DAILY...but, I pray with God's help, that they will always love each other in the end and continue to be friends even when they are older!

Lost Tooth, Two Wheels...what a summer!

I'm sure that this won't be the LAST "summer" related post, but it is that time of the year...the ending of summer...the beginning of school...the ending to the hot days...the beginning of the cool nights...the ending of sprinklers and outside pools...the beginning of campfires and smores...

Our summer has definitely been one of major family happenings. I need to preface this "blog" saying that if you have young children who have active imaginations, I wouldn't advise allowing them to read this particular entry...why? you ask...because I will be addressing some infamous people: i.e. The ToothFairy and Santa Claus...I will just leave it at that...

And so...I begin with my eldest. After a YEAR of a wiggly tooth (at least that's what she tells me) it has finally made it's exit. The permanent tooth is already there, it actually popped up behind the baby one quite awhile go...it was a tad "gross"...just to be honest...but, as a mom, I sucked it up, closed my eyes and pulled that sucker out 2 days ago and it's been "somewhat" blissful ever since...which leads me to my first topic of discussion: The Tooth Fairy...

I need to be honest...Italian Stallion and I haven't necessarily denied the belief of Santa Claus, Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy, etc...however, we haven't exactly encouraged it...be it our over zealous and paranoid nature of wanting to be sure that our kids understand the TRUE meaning of Christmas and Easter...we kinda skipped over good ole St. Nick and Mr. Bunny...so there you have it...now, what to do about the tooth fairy??? What to do???

Yeah well...I hear the going rate for a first tooth is $5...so that's what my eldest found in her pillow the other night..."Mom, did you put the money there?" she innocently asked that morning. How do I reply to that without lying...YES...CHANGE THE SUBJECT..."Do you want waffles honey?"

When it was all said and done...I didn't lie, she got her coins, I have her tooth, she still play pretend fairies and I'm getting really good at changing subjects... Which is a perfect lead into topic #2: Two Wheels...My 6 1/2 year old learned to ride a two wheeler earlier this summer...about the middle of June...it took about 2 weeks. It was grueling...lots of cheering, encouragement, falls, and bandaids. My "just turned 4" year old came to me yesterday, "mommy, I want to learn to ride a two wheeler like Sissy"...

My first reaction was to...could it be...yes, CHANGE THE SUBJECT...but, she wouldn't be derailed..."Mommy, I REALLY want to do it." I took of the training wheels and practiced for about a 1/2 hour. My parents came into town unexpectedly and "took over" the two wheel practice. Long story short...as I was out running errands I got periodical updates:
1) She can ride down the slope of the grass 11:45 a.m.
2) She can ride the length of the driveway and turn around 12:05
3) Ummm, she just took off down the road to the cauldisac (sp?) and is on her way back 12:15

So...needless to say, it's been an eventful summer...now all we need is little Baby to start walking...YIKES!!!

The Neighborhood Gang

There are 2 other families in our neighborhood that our family happens to click with...It's amazing to me how kids bring people together...I'm so thankful for the little friends my girls have to play with each day. I'm thankful for their parents whom I trust and with whom my children feel safe.

We decided that as an end to the summer fling, the 3 families would head to the zoo for the afternoon/evening to first see animals and then head to the ride area...(ride wristbands only $6 after 4pm...great deal!!!)

So, we got there and the kids had a blast...the dads met up with us moms/kids and we made our way to the rides...

It was a fun evening...the dads were quite the sports, riding the rides. We came to the conclusion that we are a lot older now...I don't think it was that encouraging now that I think of it...nonetheless, the spinning, the up and down...man, we were exhausted by 8:30pm...WHAT IN THE WORLD?

At one point, my eldest had a bit of a hard time with something...my husband is so wonderful with her...he "gets" her...he sees that heart...I couldn't resist snapping a shot of him with her.


Fortunately, everything turned out fine and they were up and running again! I can't believe we stayed out that late with our littlest one, but it was worth it. I'm so thankful for those families and the friendships we've made here. Great Ending to a Day!

House Rules and other memories

I'm not sure how we got onto the topic of conversation at the dinner table...of course, I think that's how most good memories are...you don't really remember what triggered them, but you sure have a good feeling about the entire experience...

So, somehow we got talking about rules...not sure if it was other families' rules or school rules or what, but that got us into our own house rules...

The girls start sweetly with rules we live by...here are some examples:

*Love Jesus with all your heart
*Be kind to your sisters
*Obey Mommy and Daddy
*Clean up after you make a mess

Somewhere in the midst of the meatloaf and mixed veggies, they got a little off track and the giggles ensued...here are more "important" house rules they came up with:

*Don't wash your hands in the toilet
*Don't nature tinkle in the middle of the living room
*Don't swing from the ceiling fan
*Don't jump out of the upstairs windows (should I be worried that they ONLY mentioned the UPstairs windows???)

Anyway, you get my drift with this story...at this point, it could only get worse, we were all laughing so hard coming up with incredibley ridiculous, and dare I say, rules that centered around the "potty"...they were cracking themselves up, let alone just me and their daddy!!!

Which brings me to our next memory made today: the Farm Market! I have to admit that we live in just the best neighborhood ever! We kinda live out of the way of the city...I affectionately refer to it as the "boonies" but it's not really that far...it just feels like it...I mean, the neighborhood DID just get cable, even if we don't have sewers yet. It just feels homey here, everyone watches out for everyone else...the kids are not just well behaved, but fun and sweet and just all around neat kids to be around...and the parents are actually cool too:)


The kids decided to raid everyone's gardens, moms made zucchini bread, we tied up our herbs in bundles and we had ourselves a little farm market....and threw in some lemonade to boot! We only charged 25 cents for any one thing on the table. The kids had a blast and we actually made about $10 for the hour we were out there. It was fun to watch them make their little sign and wave down customers...even if they did eat up all the free samples of bread before anyone even got to our store.




Oh and yes that is a little red cash register...it has a little microphone and everything...it was interesting to hear my middle child talking into it loudly, "the customer would like a zucchini for 25 cents please". The money was then paid, the little chime would sound and then all the kids would ask for more lemonade for themselves...

Just another memory in the making!

Community Carrot

Okay, so we've been sooooooo patiently waiting for our garden produce to be ready to "harvest"...I know that it's only the beginning of August, but to a 6 and 4 year old, planting in May seems like a longggggggg time ago...

Who am I kidding, to a 34 year old it seems like a longggggggg time ago...I was ready to start pickin' something. We've already gotten our zucchini, but after 10 million of them (well, that might be an exaggeration...) I wanted something else...so, I decided we could pick ONE carrot...just to "test" and see how it was growing of course.

Just so you understand: because of my lack of patience the first time around, the carrots are kinda all over. I planted them in one spot and they didn't grow fast enough for my liking so I replanted some beans...I was upset about this because it was an entire pouch of carrot seeds that were "wasted"...but, low and behold, 2 weeks later, up come the carrots, in between the beans...therefore, we have these roaming carrots sticking up and I ended up planting "official" rows of carrots in a different location. (This time I was more patient and just let them be however, are about 3 weeks behind the roaming ones...)

All this to say...I couldn't wait another second, I HAD to see how big these carrots got...so I let the girls pick the biggest one and we all took a bite! YUMMY...and I don't even like veggies that much!

Everyone got in on the action...even my little 4 tooth wonder. I don't think that I necessarily have a green thumb...but, it could have a shade of sage or hunter in there right?