The Crazy & Funny Times of Having Children

Last night, we get home and I have the kids go play while I make dinner. Ella wanted Benjamin to come into their room and play with her, but he wanted to play with Nicholas' birthday present (a little motorbike/tricycle thing). Ella desperately asked Benjamin to come play with her and he kept saying no. One time, he turns and yells right in her face "NO!" Ella starts crying even more and says "this isn't the yelling place..." I asked her if Nicholas or I could play with her, but no, it was all about her Benjamin. She then starts crying "Benjamin is my friend and he should play with me!" I tried to explain to her that he didn't have to but maybe he will in a little bit. I did play with her for a bit and that calmed her down for a bit, but she went on to say she wanted Benjamin to play with her.

Then even later, Benjamin cried out that he feels he is missing out on an important part of dinner - the third vitamin. I give them 3 - one for calcium, one for the fish oil and the other for multi. All are kids vitamins. I gave him two with his dinner because he had already had the third one when he saw me giving one to Nicholas. He screamed and yelled for about 15 minutes about that.

Nicholas cried later when I tried to get him to put his clothes on after taking a bath. The humanity! The horror! How dare I clothe him for the bedtime! He can put on some rather spectacular tantrums - complete with jumping and landing on his butt. I really should try to get a video of that. I'm pretty sure he is learning this behavior from his siblings. For them, the twos weren't all that terrible...their threes are worse. But Nicholas - wow - his two's are definitely terrible.

In the funny times:

1. Nicholas, for a while, thought it was fun to sleep with socks on his hands or just to walk around with socks on his hands. He hasn't done that in a while.

2. Nicholas will sometimes will look directly at your face and rather close to your face when he is telling you something.

3. Nicholas told me the other day "I can do it!" Yep - I guess he's a big boy now.

4. Nicholas likes to tease me by telling me "I go potty?" and so I get him undressed to do so, and he just runs off. Someday I'll get him to go pee or poo on the potty again. Someday.

5. Speaking of potty training, Ella was so proud of herself for buttoning her shirt that she proclaimed that she is a big girl and can button her shirt. She can get herself dressed. She can even go poo on the potty! I said - that's great (and inside I said - I'd like to see that since she still struggles with the fear of going poo on the potty).

6. Ben & Ella fighting over the proper way to say "Bubble Guppies". Benjamin asking Ella "why do you like it so much? Can't we watch another show?" or something along those lines.

7. Ben & Ella calling President's Day present day. :-D

8. Fighting over mommy or papa. Nicholas is saying "my mommy!" whenever Ella sits on my lap or Benjamin. He didn't like it too much when I was in the church nursery and was holding Andre for a period of time to calm him after his mommy left. Ella one time said that we needed another parent so that there would be enough to hold each child. :-( and :-D

In other non-kid news, I went to go see Rock of Ages a while ago with a friend and loved it! If you are a fan of 80s rock music, then this is the show for you!

Nicholas is a Big Boy

I was going to talk about Nicholas and his toddler bed today, so I guess I will then go into why I titled this UGH.

Nicholas is still in his crib. We had transferred Ben & Ella to their toddler beds when they were 18 months but with Nicholas we have resisted because we know that means he is going to keep getting out of his bed like his brother and sister. We planned to convert his bed at his 2nd birthday but the rail hasn't arrived yet and won't until the end of April! We should have been better about getting it. We are thinking of cancelling the order and getting just one of the plastic-y ones like I had intended to get anyway. We'll see.

Anyway, he really doesn't want to go in his crib. He wants to sleep in Ben & Ella's bed because his a big boy after all. He can do things all by himself (he told me the other day that he could do it - whatever the it was, I can't remember now). He isn't really happy to go into his bed...though lately he has gotten in there - laid down and read his book. So very cute!

So I was going to also write about my frustration with work and with people, but perhaps I'll save that for another day. Maybe by then, I won't feel so frustrated anymore.

Sunny Day in Seattle

So yesterday we had a nice sunny day and it hit 60 degrees! Time to head to the park! I told the kids when I picked them up that we could head to the park. Things were going well - though honestly, I hate going there by myself because I'm afraid of losing one of the kids especially when it is so crowded, but how could I pass up a nice sunny day!

Anyway, things were going great until it was time to go, then children being children, they would not listen when I told them it was time to go. I was really, really frustrated with them. I told them if they want to come back, they need to listen. This is funny because Benjamin a number of times have said to us "you need to listen!" when he said "is that the 3-5-3 bus" and we say yes "it is the 3-53 bus" and he will reply with "I didn't say 3-53, I said 3-5-3, you need to listen!"

Today isn't looking as nice unfortunately, so I don't think we'll go to the park today unless it gets sunny in the next couple hours...though it looks like it is about to rain.

Tomorrow - all about Nicholas and his toddler bed. He's a big boy, you know! He told me last night "I can do it" when I asked him if I could help him with something. My children are growing up on me!

Swim Class

As you may recall (if I wrote it down in this blog), that Ben & Ella started swim class back a couple months ago. They, at first, hated it, but gradually were warming up to being in the pool. By the last class that each attended, things were starting to look good. Then the pool closed for a few weeks to clean. I was afraid that would mean we would go back to the beginning but no! Ben & Ella hopped into the pool right away and enjoyed their class. Now, Benjamin is a bit more adventurous than Ella. He wants to go down the slide into the pool and he likes going around the pool in the float. Ella refuses to do both of those things. Hopefully, that will change and hopefully, they will both graduate out of preschool level 1 swim class this time.

This time, I also signed Nicholas up for a class. He has to go into the pool with a parent (you have to be 3 to take the preschool class). The first class was this past Saturday and I went in with him this time. He LOVED it. I would sit him on the edge of the pool and he would just jump at me. He didn't freak out when I accidentally put him under water either...though he did swallow some chorlinated water. Yuck! He didn't want to crawl along the one square float this last time, so maybe next time!

Overnight

This past Saturday we took all 3 kids to stay at their grandma and grandpa's house overnight. Jon and I went to a wedding then come home close to midnight so that we could sleep in a little. Did I end up getting a good night's rest that night? Nope, not at all. I kept waking up and ended up getting up for good at 8 a.m. - which is a little sleeping in but it wasn't a restful sleeping in like I had hoped. Oh well, I did get to finish my book club book though before going to get the kids so that was good.

As for the kids,they did great. There was no crying whatsoever when we left and they asked when they could come back so I have a feeling we can try this again - maybe just on a night when Jon and I want to go out to dinner or something though. We'll see.

This night also marked Nicholas' first time outside his crib. We have been waiting on the railing to come for his crib so he hasn't transitioned to a toddler bed yet. Honestly, I'm not looking forward to it as it will mean some falling out of bed in the middle of the night and some getting out of bed. I just don't know if I want to have another child getting out of his bed all the time. But I know we should transition him and we will once that part comes!

While at grandma and grandpa's, they watched Toy Story (finally - so now they know who Woody and Buzz Lightyear are), the twins got their toes painted with nail polish by their Aunt, and went to the park and colored. It seemed to be a fun time.

The wedding was also fun for us and it was great to meet some new people due to the wedding. I went to the bachelorette party and met the bridesmaids and others on the bride's side of the aisle. The party was at Chopstix which is a great place! I want to go there for my birthday, I think. And the wedding was at the Museum of Flight. The museum looks rather cool at night with the lights shining on the planes.

Well, anyway, that's all for now. Next time - swim class!

Happy (belated) birthday, Nicholas!!!

I'm a horrible mother. It is nearly a month after Nicholas' birthday party and I am just now saying happy birthday to him on my blog.

My little guy (and he is little - he is in the 30-35 percentile in height and weight) turned 2 on February 25. He is talking a lot (I understand about 60% of what he says these days) and can be very demanding when he wants something. He wants to be included in what his big brother and sister do, but most of the time they exclude him.

My little guy still is a big snuggle bug even today...especially after he just wakes up.

We had his birthday party at The Children's Museum in Seattle. It was a fun but very exhausting day. My sister and 2 of her kids came over, along with my eldest niece's best friend. My parents didn't dare try the pass, but my sister did. We had lots of friends there too - about 43 people in total!!!

Thanks to all who came to celebrate with us!

(I am going to make more of an effort to write about my kids, so I have lots to write about - including swim class, staying at grandma and grandpa's for the first time overnight by themselves, and more!)