Monday, January 5, 2009

#4 and #5 and a weekend update...

these pj's used to belong to Ethan. Levi has inherited them...and don't they look comfy 'n' cozy with his new slippers? very Leave It to Beaver.

Levi is doing so well learning his letters and really just embracing school. I need to get this kid reading (no, he's not even close) so he can begin piano lessons. He is so musical and love, love, loves to sing! he will be our maestro! I love you, little man...you are growing into such a nice young man! I love that you asked if you could sit with me in the service yesterday and that you specifically asked if you could rest your head on my arm....you are such a cute kid.


Levi is really into creating lots of art...or "lifting" other people's art and calling it his own...most of these are Levi originals...I love that you can see his little scar on his head...
his artwork has improved so much over the past few months...keep up the good work, Tiny. (Tom, we are just about finished with your artwork Christmas presents...thanks for your patience)


have I said it before? it's a good thing you are cute, little pixie. that fact alone is what is going to keep you kicking thru your toddler years, I do believe. :)


even with three palm trees coming out of yo' head.






I knew Molly was feisty...and I know other people have noticed her feistiness. But when you get pulled aside in the church nursery, wondering how the nursery attendants are to deal with your ONE YEAR OLD decking the other kids in the baby watching room, what are you supposed to do or think? I'm embarrassed....wondering what to do with this adorable beast.
She only smacks Levi or the older kids because they get in her face ALL THE TIME. She's really not a vicious kid...just learning the ropes...and being the fifth, you learn fast and furious...
~When she does smack, we take her hand and say the word gentle to her and have her pat or rub our face or arm...and she does well with this. Somehow, it doesn't seem quite right to smack her back when you are trying to get her NOT to smack (time and a place)....I am sorry if my child smacked your child in the nursery or anywhere else for that matter...we are working on it and please don't think for one minute that we advocate violence over here...we do not. Please take into consideration that she is 18 months old and just doing what toddlers do...and I appreciate the honesty....we will pay close attention to this and hopefully, with some work and good training, we will nip this. I've been brushing up on my training books...
~She's an awesome, bright, smart girl. She's also very stubborn and non-stop...if you have any ideas or hints on getting us thru this stage, I'd be most appreciative. We've never had a kid that acts quite like this...I'll hafta get some video of her having one of her trademark tantrums. How does one deal with this? Levi was such a compliant, low key baby...that I've forgotten how to properly deal with THAT. it's "cute" to see her flail on the floor, scoot herself backwards and make all her offended noises...but c'mon.
~~We had an uneventful weekend. the kids had their friends, Damiano and Luciano over, we cleaned the lower level, woo hoo, big fun. Got the Christmas deco organized and packed away for another year!
David and I went clothing shopping and had great success! which, if you know David, you know this is a BIG deal! BIG! I had my first quesadilla from Qdoba...and man, are they delish! pico de gallo...ROCKS!
~We attended the worship service, which was another message on just what I needed to hear...I John Chapter 2. I was bummed though because I couldn't sing in the song portion. I still have no voice...but I did enjoy the time of reflection and listening to others sing! David and Will went to work after the service, the kids and I visited at the parents...got to see Vince...he got to see the tantrum queen (who is easily redirectable, I might add)...off to Target (yah!!) and home to exercise, clean up, veg out, wait for Davey boy and Willy Vanilly to come thru the door with some thin crust delight...off to bed at a decent time......and here I am...can you believe that Christmas break is over?
~I tell ya, time is just going too fast. Is it flying for you too?

~Time to get this crew going but wanted to share a bit about what's going on around these parts...thanks, as always, for letting me share a bit here. bunch of blah blah...I know.
~Beck, maybe you could blog something light-hearted now...hijack me, would ya?

12 comments:

Hannah-Indiana said...

This was a good post. I love hearing about Molly. Drew is near the same way with hitting other children...and us. He gets it from my dad and Luke wrestling, which he enjoys just as much. When he gets mad at me, he either makes a mean face and yells, "NO!" or just smacks me, which seems to do the trick to get me away from him!

Anonymous said...

Whew, you just wore me out with that, or it was the fact that i just read and read and avoided using the punctuation in my mind...:) You'll have to tell me more about the moo in the nursery experience. Yikes! She sure is a feisty little thing, but that's what we love about her! You'll find the right things to do to keep her on track. Levi is such a sweetie, even though he's scared to death of me. I can't wait to seehim play the piano...that will be awesome...i'll hijack if you want me to...i don't have anything really good to show...i do have a "great moment in parenting" pic that i could expound on if you would like...let me know.
xoxo I agree with Hannah, i liked this post.

Laurie and company said...

thanks Hannah...we'll get these toddlers under control if it kills us!
I would love to see your great moment in parenting pic. bring it on! just make sure it's not a picture of me.

love ya, gals!

Anonymous said...

Okay, you asked for it! It's not a picture of you, i promise! :) xoxo

Tory said...

Love the pix of #4 and 5...have missed seeing them. They are so very cute. I'm guessing you started back to school today? I start back on Wednesday, and I just got back to the apartment. Wow, it was a nice 3 weeks, but it sure went fast. Good to see you back in action. ;)

Hugs, t

Nicky said...

I had to try several things before I could get my Molly to stop hitting other people's kids...I won't tell you what finally worked...you'll get there on your own! Kids are kids...smooch

Laurie and company said...

must be the name MOlly...a feisty sort! I am quite curious to know what you had to do to get her to stop.
Tory, I can't believe your break is over!! have fun heading back to class...you are in my thoughts!
love ya,
L

Brittany said...

When you figure it out, let me know. We're dealing w/ hitting here too. It's so frustrating, but I think it's better than biting (ever the optimist, I am!) as that's a REALLY hard one and can hurt much worse, right?

Heather said...

Jack is hitting, too...and so is his friend, Sam. Mollsers is coming up on her half b'day, too, isn't she? I read somewhere that kids go through "stuff" around their half b'days. Developmentally they reach a tough spot...that seems to be just the case for Jack...maybe it's for Molly, too? Hang in there! You're a good, patient mom...this will pass (and then there will be something else...isn't that always the case?) XOXO!

Laurie and company said...

I agree with you, Brittany...biting seems way worse. It bugs me that my sweet little daughter is coming across as such a brute!
Heather, that does seem to be the case...these 1/2 b-days of theirs...there will always be something...argh! :) XOXO we muddle thru together!

Laurie and company said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Laurie and company said...

that deleted comment was me...I hit publish twice...oops!