Reach the sky

{Plop! Thud! Boom} Aeralind falls off a chair for the third or fourth time today.

M: "Whew!  Ya'll are clumsy today. Are you growing?"
A: Yesth
M: Are you going to be four feet taller by Monday?
A: Yesth, then I can touch the sky.  And do ballerinas.

3 years

3 years (and 36 weeks).  It seems too short to have known you.  Too short to fully love your quirky selves. Too short to feel your little bodies pressed tightly up against mine.  Not enough time to stroke that hay blond hair or chase you as you shriek joy.

Aeralind and Bronwyn, I'm not sure if our lives would be full enough without you.  Nearly everyday your daddy and I just bust out laughing at one thing or another and whispering, "It would have been so boring with just one."

Aeralind Grace

There are moments in each day where you get on such a talking spurt that I can hardly keep up with you.  You'll tell me about rain or about how joeys ride in momma kangaroo's pouch or how your sister is doing something you don't think to be right or how you want to do this or that.  It's some of the sweetest time with you, if I sit and listen when you get on a talking spree.

But most of the time, you are quiet.  Resolute.  Purposeful about doing the thing you have set before you.  Like laying out your comforter perfectly as you make your bed.  Or reading a full book.  Or stacking things just so high.

You struggle mightily with lying.  Sometimes in a manipulative way.  Sometimes in a "I don't want to face the consequences" way.  Sometimes just because.  You're beginning to grow in that area, but it's an everyday battle for you.

You laugh with your whole face.  You are easily embarrassed or frustrated when you think you should be able to do something the right way. You love to wear mismatched clothing.  And tights.  But no shoes.  You snuggle on your own terms... but they are mighty fierce snuggles when they occur.  You're enjoying learning to sing and are constantly singing little songs about alligators and Zaccheus and Pete the Cat. I hope to enjoy your quirkiness even more over the next year.


Bronwyn Hope

You love to create.  With stamps or playdoh or imagination or stuffed animals.   You will create and imagine little worlds and invite us all to play in them.  I really love drawing with you.  Or exploring new art with you.

You are a ball of energy.  When someone shows up to play at your house, you pretend to be shy while at the same time running crazily about showing off in whatever way you can.  You love to be chased (except when you're scared... you hate to be scared).  You love to climb things.  To jump.  To twirl.  To play Simon Says.

You struggle with obeying right away.  Not because you don't want to obey.  No, your struggle right now is stopping what you are doing to obey right away.  You want to obey... but after you finish a book or after you fold everything just so or after I do... You're making some improvements.  I have to lay out my hands and ask you to put your hands on mine.  Once your hands aren't busy, you hear and obey better.

You wear every emotion on your face.  Sometimes I shoot water out of my nose while drinking and watching your crazy expressions.  It's all there.  All the time.  There is no doubt of how you feel: excited, confused, scared, joyful, apprehensive, sugar high... you have a face for it all.  I hope you remain tender and unveiled.

Toddler Activity of the Week: Water Play

It has been HOT here. Well, over 100 degrees for quite a few days! The girls are going stir crazy in the house, but I can't take the baby out into the heat for too long.

Compromise: backyard bubble pool time. So much fun! I love how their independent enough now that I can actually make dinner while they're playing!

But by Far my favorite activity of the week: river swimming with our good friends Jen and Abel!

We spontaneously invited ourselves up for the 4th of July. Next thing we know, the girls are riding river currents and flirting with Abel. Which I guess is appropriate because Abel was one of the people that I first swam in a river with!

The girls love this! But it took each one of them a special measure of courage to give it a try! Aeralind eased in after watching Abel do it (she had a bit of a crush on Abel... as you can see with that voluntary hand holding: not something she's prone to do!)  Bronwyn kept announcing "I do it myself!"  And then walking in just far enough to sit safely on the rocks.  She slowly inched forward over the course of 15 minutes or so... and finally daddy gave her a subtle nudge!  Bronwyn came right back upriver and did it again so quickly that we had to holler for Abel to grab her before she bumped into the shallows!

2.75

Folks, we have full sentences!  And quirky use of language.  And oh, the personality of 2.75!  I don't know if I can even really express it to you all.  But I'll give it a try ;)

Aeralind Grace

You have grown into a fiercely independent little girl.  At least 20 times a day, I hear you say "I do it, momma!" Whether over your shoes, your pants, getting your fork, or filling your water cup... you just want to do it!

But you've also grown in the area of independent play.  You've sat for an hour just making up a "train track" of blocks in a row.  You'll grab that silly penguin pillow and sit up on top of our block train calling out the animals you see.  You'll rock your doll, nurse her, and tuck her into bed.  I love seeing the things your little mind comes up with.

You've also grown in the area of selfishness... and I don't mean this is a good way!  We are working daily with you on self-control issues.  You shriek when a toy in dispute is not in your hands.  You'll take things right out of my hand.  You will do something you want right after I said we weren't going to do that.  It's been a long couple of weeks and unlike your sister, you do not break as quickly during discipline sessions.  Whew!

My sweetest times with you are always while reading books.  It's the only time you snuggle right up.  But you'll sit there and ask questions for hours if I let it go on that long.   We went on a date the other night to pick out Pooh Fabric for a dress and you are such a fire cracker!  Ha!  We had so much fun chatting and struggling through your opinion vs. mine.  :) I loved that special time with you so much.

Bronwyn Hope

Oh, Bronwyn, you still thrive on physical touch and lots of praise.  Your most recent thing is to ask me to clap for your accomplishments: mundane stuff like finishing the next pasta noodle from your plate.  And you clap and say "Yay!"  I love it so much!

Your biggest area of growth is in appreciation for the written word.  You can recite and sing almost every word in your two favoritePete the Cat books.  You nearly loose your mind when a chapter from Winnie the Pooh is finished and we have to put it up.

Obviously waiting is not your thing.  Especially in matters of justice.  I'm almost always training you once a day in the principle of going to your sister first before coming to me.  Teaching you to say, "Sister, it makes me feel sad when you take things from me.  Will you please give it back."  Oh, it seems like such an endless task right now!

You had a huge and sweet moment of growth in these last 3 months.  We were at the edge of the pool deck and since the water was freezing, you and a few friends were busy chasing lizards on the deck.  You suddenly decided that you wanted back in the water.  I saw you across the deck head down two steps of the ladder and told you "NO!"  You gave me your "Watch me" defiance look and took that third step under. You didn't know that you weren't wearing your Puddle Jumper.  I dove in and fished you out and the first words uttered from your quivering lips were:  "No spank, Momma!  I disobeyed!"  It was a lightbulb moment for you.  Your will has been softened to understand that I ask for obedience because I love and want to protect you.

My sweetest times with you are while you create.  You artwork is becoming so wonderful.  Little circle heads with squid-like limbs are sprouting up all over your paper.  You patiently tell me what each little squiggle is and what they are doing.  I love hearing you voice stories in this way.

Toddler Activity of the Week: Water Colors and Sewing

We were pretty sick here last week (at least mommy and the baby... the girls fared pretty well).  Watercolors for the first time.

Do you see those black circles on the right: those are people.  And those arc's she's making: rainbows.  She threw a fit at a friend's house yesterday because she can't yet draw the letters A and B.

Oh, sweet Bronwyn!  She wakes up asking to paint.  If she can't paint, then she pulls out her crayons and creates.

The night before Sedryn was so sick, Bronwyn had been up 3 hours in the middle of the night complaining of an earache.  Mid-morning, both Bronwyn and Sedryn collapsed into bed.  Aeralind and I were blessed with two hours of time just to spend with each other.  It was such a beautiful blessing!

Aeralind loves detail so I made her up a little sewing card and taught her how to so.  I loved watching her quiet concentration and excitement over this new skill.

Are you okay?

THUD
CRASH
CLUNK

(common noises at my house)

Aeralind: Are you okay, Bonwyn?
Bronwyn: I okay.  I bonked.

SQUEAL
LAUGH
SHRIEK

Aeralind: Momma, I don't feel well.
Me: Oh? Where do you hurt?
Aeralind: I hurt on Bonwyn.
Me: Really?!


I think they're growing up too fast.  Oh, but I love that growing sense of compassion in Aeralind; it balances me out nicely :)

Counting 3354-3367 good gifts.

• This boy laughing hysterically at himself every time I turn around
• How Bronwyn says "Aww, man!" When she has a potty accident
• How they play "nap" and say bedtime prayers
• How Aerie lights up with glee when I toss a blanket over her play house to dry
• How Aerie dips her eggs in spicy brown mustard
• How Sedryn lifts his head and smiles at me after each nap
• Hearing Derek mention how much he wants to maximize his time with the girls in the evening
• Spontaneous fishing trip
• Pure delight at casting and reeling in those silly rubber fish
• Kin man who fished out the dropped pole
• Hearing Bronwyn repeat "Right away, all the way, and with a happy heart" while defining obedience.
• Sunday editing photos night
• New to us desk with my own computer and room for my sewing machine
• Plans developing for a pirate big girl room

2 and a Half!

You two have grown so much in the last 6 months.  We have conversations.  You can tell me what hurts when you're sick. You can dance for the shear joy of it.  You hold hands and help each other out.

And, oh, how you make mommy and daddy laugh!

Aeralind Grace

You are still as detail oriented as ever.  You'll sit and play with lacing beads or puzzles for hours at a time.  You find the the tiniest things in pictures and then exclaim "Wight dere!" with joy.

One of your favorite things of late (thanks to daddy I'm sure), has been sitting outside very still and waiting until you see it.  "Wobin!" you exclaim as a bird lands and starts digging up succulent morsels from our yard.  "Nother one!" When you spot his buddy.  You could watch birds at the feeder all day long.  You'll take my face gently in your hands and point it toward the feeder to show me the Carolina Wren who dips into your handmade orange peel feeder.

So as not to make you both sound like perfect angels, I'll toss in a paragraph about where your rough spots are.  Aerie you're a whiner and a squealer.  If something doesn't go your way... I know my ears need to be plugged.  You sister will antagonize you just to hear you make noise.  And when I rebuke you... You fall down flat on your stomach in a silent tantrum which makes me alternatively want to laugh or shake you. But you're growing.  You've learned that tantrums are disrespectful.  You're learning about self-control.

You take a long time to walk from place to place. It's like you're lost in your own world (kinda like a girl I once knew who would follow her mom around in a store reading a book).  The other day I turned around to beckon you to stay closer to me in the YMCA parking lot and I caught you doing the silliest thing.  Your were rolling your arms and swaying your hips and walking, just as focused as can be.  It cracked me up!

Bronwyn Hope

You were being a total cheese ball for these photos.  I couldn't stop laughing at your mouth full of dinosaur sandwich and your goofy antics every time I told you to look at the camera.  But these photos are so uniquely you!

You're a goofy little kid with no fear in new situations and a ridiculous sense of humor.  The other day I drew a snake on your doodle pad and then drew a kitty on top.  You thought it was the funniest joke ever.  "'Nake!  Kitty!" You'd demand for me to draw it any time you saw the doodle pad and then laugh hysterically.  I just can't express how often we bust a gut watching you try to do somersaults or when you're up in a tree climbing with daddy and just take off.

Bronwyn, your little heart is often a mess. You want things your way and you want them "Wight now!"  You'll do whatever you want until you're met with a consequence that you don't like and even then the consequence might have to be repeated a dozen or more times before you get the message.  You struggle to come when asked.  And you can be antagonistic and rude to your sister. Even Sedryn has been in the way of a well timed hit!  Your little heart softens a little in the moments after discipline and, overall, is learning to enjoy the structure and consistency of discipline.  I've even caught little smiles of relief when you've left the discipline area.

One of the advantages of your strong little will is that you always know what you want and you chase after it with gusto!  Potty training yourself is one of those areas.  Grabbing just the storybook you want is another.  Tugging daddy's hand and asking for him to come is common.  I see you softening with each new vocabulary word; although you don't take no easily, you satisfied to know that we know exactly what you want.

2 and a Quarter!

(I figured after 2 it seems a little silly to count in months... so 2 and a quarter it is!)

These last 3 months have flown by in a flurry for mommy with little sleep, a newborn (or hugely pregnant), and you two crazy monkeys.  You're so fun right now, but I'm having a hard time finding time to enjoy you properly.  So Daddy is sitting right next to me and we're going to do a little bullet list of the things we want to remember about you during this time.

First: The crazy things you two have gotten into in the last month while mommy was otherwise occupied.

• Toothpaste.  A friend delivered a meal that day and loved how "minty fresh" you two were.  Head... to toe
• Make-up. You painted yourself pretty.  But I think you looked like football players.

Aeralind

Bronwyn

• Baby oil.  I'm not sure that's ever coming out of brother's carpet (but it smells nice) and it came out of your hair... after a bath... or two...
• Iron.  I'm pretty sure Bronwyn held this over Aeralind's finger.  Of course, I'm also pretty sure Aeralind was the one who plugged it in.  You now call it "hot!!!!".
• Gas-X. Mommy's first (maybe only? doubtful...) call to poison control.  Apparently eight 128mg tablets won't do you any harm.
• Eggs.  Cracked them on my kitchen floor.  Perfectly cooked... according to you.
• Q-Tips.  You like cleaning your own ears out.
• Condiments. Art for the kitchen floor.
• Keyboard+Water after locking daddy out of the house while mommy slept.
• Chocolate Meringue Cookies.  Pulled a whole baking sheet off the counter. Devoured half a dozen.
• And the crowning achievement: smearing Vaseline on a "pun'kin" (and the carpet/changing table) after you broke the stem.  It was "med'cine" to fix it.  You tell me stories about this incident still.

This might be the terrible twos... but from the list above... it's terribly funny (when I'm not cleaning up the messes).


Here's a little something about each girl and your unique personalities during this time.

Aeralind

• Your word is "control".  You will do anything to remain in control.  You don't cry (normally) when disciplined.  If you think it's in your best interest to act the angel while Bronwyn climbs the wall, you will.  If you want something yourself, you'll go get it.  You hate loosing control to the point that you don't even throw tantrums, you just sulk.
• You trying to find your Toes'ies  when having pants put on.
• You have finally stopped cursing when referring to your shirt and shoes. 
• You love to swing.
• Tunnel!  You scream this when you want to go outside and play on your playground
• Playing with Rocks.
• 'Wocking' in your chair or on your horse.
• You snuck into the kitchen to snitch some brown sugar while everyone else was melting down. You had so much on your face it looked like you'd grown a beard!
• You can swim really well with your Puddle Jumpers on.
• Tags: You're obsessed with them.  And every time you find one your little thumb sneaks right into your mouth.
• You're the Hair puller
• You like talking on the phone and will demand to call someone.
• Scared of bugs

Bronwyn

• Your word is "order".  You believe everything has an inherent order.  Mommy must put the vitamins on the right shelf.  You must sit in the chairs in Nana's nursery and eat snack there.  You must keep your owl or cupcake jammies on at all costs. It's no surprise that your favorite sentences all start with "I want..."  If something disrupts your order, you will melt down on the floor in an epic temper tantrum.
• You think your socks are "cocks".
• You won't do airplanes without your daddy taking his glasses off.
• You mastered the words "I Want".  They maybe your only verb besides push and rock.
• You think you are Sedryn's mother and have tried to practice nursing on your doll and a 14 month old friend.
• Tunnel!!! One of your favorite places too!
• When we go outside you'd demand that we sit you up in trees.
• You like to eat raw flour. 
• Will put your face underwater and swim a couple feet to someone. 
• You're the biter.
• Being chased
• You will roll over brother as if he is a rotisserie chicken.
• Will either pet or kill a bug, depending on its type
• You were terrified of elevators.

22 Months

The months are tumbling by in rush, but each day with you two lingers on.  Each moment containing an eternity of memories.

In six weeks, you will have wiggled upon this earth for 2 years.

For 2 years, you have been shaping me,
training me,
teaching me to love,
teaching me what it means to be a mother.

I'm pretty hard headed most of the time... so I appreciate your patience in undertaking that task.  I appreciate your blossoming spirits teaching my own to continue to grow.

Aeralind Grace

My sweet girl, each day it becomes more apparent that God gave you a servant's heart.  I (or daddy) have taught you to sweep (sort of), mop up a mess with a rag, clean up after you eat, feed your sister when she's being slow to eat, throw trash away, and even to kill the harmless ants I can't seem to conquer in our kitchen.  Not only do you take great joy and pride in doing these tasks (sometimes yelling "Yay!" and clapping when complete), but often times you initiate these tasks without my prompting.  I can only imagine where that heart will lead you.

The one image of you that I hope to freeze in my mind is your handing me something and with great joy saying "Tank oo!"  You picked that up since I say thank you when you hand me something... but you seem to have the order a bit mixed up.  I'm not correcting you though.  I often times relish hearing those little words.

Bronwyn Hope

You have made it very apparent this month that you are a very strong willed girl.  You have challenged authority, you have whined for up to 5 hours at night (either because you just wanted to be up or because of some residual attachment to your now gone pacifier), and you have thrown a million temper tantrums.  I want you to know that I love your strong will.  Yes, it's difficult.  Yes, it's hard for me to manage sometimes, but you are growing your momma.  You are teaching her how to love you best.

One the things I've noticed the most is that you demand structure.  Part of that is in your strong willed nature (Will I get away with this?  Where are my boundaries?), but part of it is your love for figuring things out.  You have memorized every single snack box in the cabinet and will yell out what I'm getting or what you want: "daker!" "Pune!"  You will inform me of when and where I need to put something away. You have no problem telling your sister of a boundary that she is crossing that you know is wrong... and wrestling her to the ground to get your "no" across (we'll work on finesse a little later :-p).  Structure is your friend and it's what you desire most.

The one image I want to hold in my mind is of you reaching up your little hand to walk with me up the stairs or in a parking lot.  Browyn, as much as you fight to establish boundaries, I can see that in your heart you're really just asking to be led patiently and gently.  I'll hold your hand and lead as best as I can by the grace of God.

19 Months!

I started this post over a month ago.  Well, maybe that is an exaggeration; I really just put a title down as a place holder.  But now that I'm finally feeling up to sitting at the computer to write this post in honor of your 18 months on this earth, you two are actually 19 months old.

So happy 19 months to my precious little girls!

The last three months have gone by in an incredible blur.  I'm very unexpectedly expecting your new brother or sister.  For the most part, your mommy has crashed back into bed as soon as the two of you would consent to take a nap.  Some day I even woke up to the two of you squealing like banshees trying to wake your momma from a coma in the next room.  Thanks for that... I think I might still be sleeping if not for your efforts :-p

You've become such big capable girls.  You're able to feed yourself with spoons and forks (when you choose to).  You're able to climb the ladders to any slide in any playground on the universe.  You'll gleefully go down slides (on your bottom!) that are taller than mommy and steeper than a roller coaster.  You can take off your shirts if I get one arm out for you.  You can make your daddy cower in the corner by roaring at him with dinos, lions, and giraffes (though I'm still trying to figure out why giraffes roar?).


Today you fell asleep in the car as mommy drove home from the gym.  It was so unexpected and not even near naptime.  You looked precious.  You might be big girls and you might be big sisters soon, but you're still the most precious snuggly little babies ever.

Aeralind Grace

Your primary goal in life is to be helpful.  With a little direction, you shut doors and drawers.  You mop floors with a rag. You put away clothing and diapers.  You'll hand me items out of a clothes basket to hang on the line.  But your absolute favorite way to be helpful is to point out birds.  Your daddy is a birdwatcher; he collects bird sightings like some people collect stamps or porcelain dolls.  You patiently point at a bird and say "Burd" until daddy notices and tells you what it is.  So cute!

You have developed a love of stuffed animals/dolls and books.  You will walk around the house carrying anything stuffed.  Dolls, kitties, Chick-fil-a cows, and mommy's ancient teddy Cranky are not safe.  If you can't find a suitable stuffed object, you grab the nearest shirt with a tag and carry that around for awhile.  Your other love is books.  You will sit there and let me read books to you for hours.  You even know what it means when mommy says "Go get a different book," because she's so tired of reading certain books.  Sometimes you beckon Bronwyn to sit with you and will read entire stories to her in baby gibberish.

You melt my heart when...

• You attempt to blow dandelions.  
• You twirl and dance whimsically to music.  
• When you say "mwah!" while giving me a kiss. 
• You walk around the house sucking your thumb and carrying a stuffed creature or a tshirt by it's tag.
• You hand me diapers to hang.
• You get so excited to point out birds and ducks for daddy.
• You get all squealy.

Bronwyn Hope

Your primary goal in life is to figure out things. You wrestle with a marker until you discover how to take the lid off.  You climb a bar stool just to see if you can stand on top and reach that forbidden food.  You climb up the computer's CPU just to get on top of the desk and try to figure out how to operate the computer..  You re-program clocks. You try to take your shoes off.  Sometimes your curiosity gets you in trouble... other times it's just so adorable to see your joy when you figure something out!

You have developed a love of communicating in the past 3 months.  You can clearly sign "eat," "more," "please," and "all done."  You love pointing at things and saying "please" accompanied by a verbal "blah".  It's hard to resist you when you're being so charming and polite.  But I love how your mastery of those three simple words has made you 100% less frustrated.  You hardly ever throw temper tantrums and freely answer when I ask you "What do you need, Bronwyn?"  I'm glad you caught on to these signs!

You melt my heart when...

•  You sign "Please!" 
• You crawl up on the couch just to sit shoulder to shoulder with me.
• You smile with your nose all wrinkled up.
• You smile and wave right before you intentionally disobey.  How am I supposed to deal with that?!
• You figure something out and have to show it to me.
• You want me to feed you because you've gotten too frustrated with your cutlery.
• I find you on the desk trying to figure out the computer.
• You eat your sandwhiches: always taking the first bite from the middle like a vampire.

I love you two so dearly.

P.S. I managed to get this up a whole week prior to your 20 month birthday!  Aren't you two proud :)

16 Months

My precious girls turned 16 months old today.   I'm not sure where the last two months disappeared to.  We've been sick a ton: ear infections, colds, bronchialitis (nasty stuff), and more ear infections.  I seem to be functioning on just the bare minimum of sleep most weeks :)  But despite all our health struggles, my little babies have fully evolved into sweet little toddler girls.

Aeralind Grace

I can't get over how much this little girls loves to be dirty.  Within moments of exciting our home, she will have dirt all around her mouth from chewing on rocks or sticks or whatever interested her at that moment. Ironically, Aeralind is the more traditionally girly of the two.  She love her dolls and carries them around with her.  She helps me sweep.  She comes near to ask for snuggles.  So the dirt just cracks us up! We've taken to calling her "Mud Princess." 

Aeralind still love to manipulate objects.  She can use her spoon and actually get the food in her mouth.  She can both pull outlet covers out of the electrical outlet and put them back in.  When I forget that the basement bathroom door is open, I will always find her in that bathroom meticulously lifting cat food piece by piece into a separate dish.  She's giddy with excitement that she's figured out how to close the reused-as-a-bath-toy margarine container.

Aeralind weathers sickness pretty well.  She sleeps extra long.  However, when she's hurting she'll let you know with some of the most heart rending shrieks possible.  Then she snuggles right up to you until the pain passes and lets you place her happily back upon her pillow where she drifts off to sleep.

Bronwyn Hope

Bronwyn Hope is a determine scrappy little thing.  She will climb anything.  She has no fear.  She wants to be able to do what she is thinking about in her head as soon as possible.  When she sets her heart on doing something, just about nothing will stop her.  Not even if she falls.  After a good cuddle, she'll go right back to try it again. 

Bronwyn doesn't stay still for more than 5 minutes unless she's playing with the piano or being forced to receive a nebulizer treatment.  In less than 10 minutes she'll climb onto the trunk, then the couch and repeat 10 times, push a Cozy Coup across the room with her sister riding in it, empty three drawers, climb on top of the computer desk, and call China on my cell phone (well the last part is hypothetical...but believe me, she'd attempt it!).  This girls is busy!  But her laughter and her enthusiasm for life is so infectious.

Bronwyn does not deal with being sick well.  My stubborn non-stop ball of motion becomes a mopy clingy whiny stubborn girl.  She wants one thing and one thing only: to be near mommy and daddy.  She has whined 2+ hours on two different occasions in the middle of the night, just because she wanted to sleep with us.

I love you my sweet toddler girls! 

Soot

That fireplace might be the death of me yet.

Anyone know how to clean soot out of an unused fireplace without getting soot all over the house?

Is Dinner Ready?

"Hey, mama! Is dinner ready yet?  It smells so good I think I can taste it through the oven door."

Aeralind, The Photographer